These eggs are something i’ve been making for a long time. I call them ramen eggs. Named as such because I initially found the concept in Ivan Orkin’s book ‘Ivan Ramen’ as it was the only thing in the book that took less than 4 days to make with fewer than 400 ingredients (slight exaggeration of course, and if you want to make ramen the proper way, he certainly knows how). Though I didn’t marinate them. I just made delicious gooey-centred eggs and put them on noodles, soups, rice bowls and anything else that I felt could welcome the addition of a perfectly boiled, gooey-centred egg. So everything. Then I read Tim Anderson’s book, Japaneasy. This, of course, also mentioned these delicious eggs but told me that I could marinate them for a mere 30 minutes in soy sauce and mirin and they would absorb enough of the salty sweet flavour in that short time to be amazing. He speaks the truth. It turned what was already a wonderful thing into an overwhelmingly joyous experience. I introduce to you, soy-marinated eggs. In half an hour. No jokes.

Soy-Marinated eggs

Timings: 37 minutes (7 mins hands on and 30+ mins marinating)

Quantities: makes 6 eggs, adjust as you wish

Kitchen stuff: saucepan, marinating jar

Ingredients: use one part mirin to three parts soy sauce if you want to make less eggs

50ml mirin

150ml soy sauce

6 small eggs, straight from the fridge

Method:

1. PREPARE: Put a large pan of water on to boil. Fill a large bowl with very cold water and some ice cubes, to plunge your eggs into post cooking. Fill a jar, large enough to hold your eggs, with the soy sauce and mirin.

2. BOIL YOUR EGGS: When your pan of water is at a rolling, ferocious boil and add your fridge-cold, small eggs. Boil your eggs for 6 minutes and 20 seconds exactly, this will give them a set white and a tacky-lightly gooey centre. If your eggs are large, boil them for 6 mins and 40 seconds. If your eggs are room temperature, cook them for 20 seconds less. Remove your eggs from the boiling water and plunge them directly into the bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking and cool them to handling temperature.

3. PEEL & SOAK: Once the eggs are lightly cooled, after a few mins, peel them and drop them into the soy sauce and mirin mixture. Leave to marinate for as long as possible, but 30 mins is enough to pick up some of the seasoning and taste delicious.

Tip the egg jar upside down every now and then to dislodge the eggs and make sure every surface can absorb all the soy and mirin goodness. Serve with any bowl of rice or noodles.