Perfect Ramen Eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago)

Ramen Eggs are the perfect addition to any ramen or noodle bowl. All you need is a few key Japanese ingredients and at least 8 hours of marinating time to make your own perfectly jammy Ramen Eggs, or Ajitama, at home.

The versatility of eggs is astounding. They can be the star of the show, or a best supporting actor in all varieties of sweet and savoury applications. This versatile protein is delicious in everything from simple Pickled Eggs and Japanese Egg Salad Sandwiches to rich Italian pasta and delicate French meringues.

Disclosure: This post is made possible by Egg Farmers of Alberta. All opinions and experiences are my own.

Ramen Eggs

I love… no, I’m obsessed with both the simplicity and precision of Japanese cuisine. Often dishes may appear straight forward but have an incredibly meticulous preparation. There are fewer ingredients but each ingredient has a specific purpose. Nothing is superfluous.

When you search for ramen egg recipes on the internet, the results are very similar but also slightly different. That is because the perfect ramen eggs recipe is the one that suits your tastes. So, try this recipe once, then feel free to adjust the flavour as you see fit.

This Ramen Egg recipe results in a moderate to highly marinated soy sauce eggs, with rich jammy yolks and a hint of brightness from the rice vinegar. They are full of umami and salinity from the soy sauce, but not overly so and slightly sweet from the mirin.

The complex flavour of these Ajitsuke Tamago goes perfectly with the saltiness of ramen broth, mirroring the salinity while having just enough sweetness and refreshing acidity to stand out on their own.

What are Ramen Eggs?

Ramen Eggs, also known as Ajitsuke Tamago or Ajitama, are the marinated soft-boiled eggs found in ramen or noodle bowls in Japan and beyond. These umami rich jammy eggs are marinated in a soy mirin marinade, creating a uniquely delicious protein rich snack.

Japanese Ajitsuke Tamago are like Chinese soy marinated eggs but have a less pronounced soy flavour due to the more delicate Japanese soy sauce, or shoyu.

Some uses for Ajitama are:

• added protein to rice and ramen bowls
• protein rich snack
• bento box or stir fry side dish
• filling for egg salad sandwiches
• a fun version of deviled eggs, Japanese style!

Ingredients for Ramen Eggs

Head over to your nearest Asian market for the best choice of ingredients, or use the ones in your pantry for this simple Japanese recipe.

• Soy Sauce
• Sweet Mirin
• Rice Wine Vinegar
• Water
• Eggs

For best results use Japanese soy sauce, or shoyu as it generally contains less sodium than other kinds. Choose a moderately priced naturally fermented shoyu, with no other ingredients added.

Mirin is a thick, sweetened Japanese rice wine. For this recipe, I used Kikkoman Kotteri Mirin, which is a mirin-like condiment with the alcohol removed. It adds a little sweetness and body to the ramen egg marinade. A good substitute for sweet mirin in this recipe is a quick sugar water syrup at a ratio of 3:1 (4 tbsp of water, mix with 4 tsp of granulated sugar).

The rice wine vinegar adds a touch of acidity to the ramen eggs. Feel free to use seasoned or unseasoned rice wine vinegar in this recipe.

How to Make Perfectly Jammy Eggs

The MOST IMPORTANT and often most difficult part of making Ramen Eggs is cooking the egg. It sounds easy but achieving the perfect jammy yolk soft boiled egg is sometimes difficult to execute. This is because there are so many factors that influence egg cooking times.

The first influencing factor is egg size. Egg sizes differ greatly from package to package and even within the same dozen. If you are making several ajitama at a time, use same size eggs to ensure even results. This recipe was developed using large eggs, though there is a slight range of eggs within the ‘large’ size category.

As a baseline, I always start with fridge temperature eggs, room temperature Instant Pot, and cold tap water. If I’m using the stovetop boiling method, I’ll place room temperature eggs into the boiling water.

Finally, the cooked eggs must be immersed in an ice bath for at least 5 minutes to prevent overcooking. Stir the water in the bowl occasionally to prevent the ice water around the eggs from warming up during heat transfer.

How to Make Ramen Eggs

The first step in any ramen egg recipe is to make the marinade because it needs to cool to room temperature before using. The second step is cooking the eggs to jammy ramen egg perfection and the final step is adding flavour via marinade. I prefer to use an Instant Pot to steam/pressure cook eggs as it always results in easy to peel eggs.

Make the Marinade

To make the marinade, place 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup sweet mirin, 2 tablespoons sake, and 3/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring marinade to a boil over medium high heat then turn the heat down and allow it to simmer for 3-5 minutes.

Remove marinade from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Cook the Eggs

If using an Instant Pot, add 1 cup cool water to Instant Pot insert then place the metal trivet in the bottom. Arrange four fridge temperature eggs on the trivet. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to close. Adjust Instant Pot settings to ‘High’ pressure and set timer for four minutes.

When end timer sounds, allow eggs to sit for another 30 seconds then release the pressure.

To make perfectly jammy ramen eggs using the saucepan method, bring a small saucepan full of water to a boil then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Gently place 4 room temperature eggs in the simmering water and cook for 6 1/2 minutes.

Immediately remove the eggs from Instant Pot/ hot water and place in a bowl of ice water. Allow eggs to cool completely for at least 5 minutes. Peel the eggs by tapping the wide end on the counter and cracking the surrounding shell. Take care to remove all of the membrane as it will prevent that area from changing colour during marinating.

Marinate the Eggs

Place eggs in a narrow, straight side container then pour the marinade over OR place eggs and marinade in a freezer bag. Allow eggs to marinate for a minimum of 8 hours and up to three days.

Note that ramen eggs achieve peak flavour from 8 – 48 hours and the longer they marinate, the more marinade is absorbed. After three days they will be quite salty, and the marinade may have reached the egg yolk.

Keep eggs whole or slice them in half using unflavoured waxed dental floss. Serve in a bowl of steaming hot ramen, alongside noodles, or as a filling for an egg salad sandwich.

Hi! I’m Bernice Hill and I am the sole recipe developer, photographer, and writer at Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.

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