Soy Sauce (Shoyu) Eggs are easy to make and good to keep on hand. Eat these eggs with rice for breakfast, or as a ramen or saimin topping for lunch.
Soy Sauce (Shoyu) Eggs
Have you tried soy sauce eggs before? You might have seen them on the menu of the local ramen shop, often listed as an "add on" item. Or perhaps on the menu of Japanese restaurants, offered under the name shoyu tamago.
On the mainland, these eggs are called soy sauce eggs. In Japan, they're called shoyu tamago. And in Hawaii, they're called shoyu eggs.
However you call them, they are delicious! And very easy to make.
Just boil eggs, peel the eggs, and then marinate the eggs in a mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and mirin. Marinate the eggs in the fridge overnight, and then it's ready to eat.
We love our eggs to have a soft, tender yolk, but you can also make hard boiled eggs. It's completely up to you. The whites and yolks get infused with the salty-sweet marinade and it is bliss.
How To Eat Soy Sauce Eggs?
There are many, many possibilities. This is the fun part...
Breakfast
Over Rice
As you know, we eat almost everything with rice in Hawaii. One of my favorite things to do for breakfast is top a hot bowl of rice with one shoyu egg. Depending on what we have available, I'll add anything from green onions to sesame seeds, and chili oil/sauce over the egg. Lately I've been topping our "breakfast eggs" with Sichuan chili oil made by a friend.
Tea On The Side
On quiet, slow mornings. I cut the egg into quarter wedges. Place them in a small dish. Drizzle the tiniest bit of sesame oil on top. Sprinkle some sesame seeds. Then make a cup of tea...an oolong or Chinese black tea. Then just sit there, drinking tea and eating eggs. So quiet and relaxing, a beautiful way to start the day.
Lunch
Ramen or Saimin
I work from home and make lunch most days. I crave things that are comforting and easy to pull together. Often times that's ramen or saimin. I top both noodle dishes with a handful of green onions and a shoyu egg, neatly cut in half. Easy and done.
Shoyu Chicken
Shoyu chicken is a popular lunch dish in our home. It's easy and nourishing (I don't know if it's necessarily "healthy" though ahaha). I'll make a lunch bowl with rice (the foundation of life!) topped with shoyu chicken and shoyu egg. Maybe add blanched bok choy or spinach on the side.
Dinner
Top Any Noodle Dish
You can top almost any noodle dish with these eggs. We eat a lot of noodles at home and sometimes top the finished dish with these eggs for extra protein. From chow mein to Singapore noodles, shoyu eggs are always welcome at the table. Best is when you use them to top scallion oil noodles.
With Fried Food
These eggs are especially good on the side with fried foods. Classic dinner plate includes rice, mochiko chicken (hot from the fryer!) and a split shoyu egg. Maybe even mac salad on the side if we are lucky ^_^
Snack
Plain
Yes, you can just eat these plain for snack. I'll just take an egg out of the fridge (usually around that 4-5pm hour where I'm not necessarily hungry but just want something snack on), cut it in half and just eat it standing up in the kitchen. So satisfying.
Common Questions
They'll keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. We usually make 6 eggs at a time. Between the two of house, we'll finish all six in about 2 days. There's a chance to eat these eggs at every meal.
Yes! Don't waste the marinade, that's a lot of soy sauce. You can reuse the sauce for up to two more batches of eggs.
This recipe is super flexible, so feel free to change up the proportions (though I recommend trying the original recipe first) to suit your tastes. Rice vinegar is the standard vinegar used for shoyu eggs, but you can also try sherry vinegar.
Some people also like to add minced garlic or smashed ginger to the marinade. You can even add chili peppers for a bit of heat!
Shoyu eggs are Japanese, but in Chinese households you'll find that people also add star anise to the marinade, making it a hybrid Chinese-Japanese egg. So cool! I'll also do a post on Chinese tea eggs soon ^_^
Soy Sauce (Shoyu) Eggs Recipe
See below and enjoy ^_^
Soy Sauce (Shoyu) Eggs
Soy Sauce Eggs (we call them Shoyu Eggs in Hawaii) are easy to make and handy to have on hand. Eat them with rice for breakfast, or as a ramen/saimin topping for lunch. The possibilities are endless! Feel free to double the recipe.
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mirin
Instructions
- Make the marinade first. Combine the soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, and mirin in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat to low. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, pour into a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Gently add in the eggs. Boil (with the lid off) for 6-7 minutes. Boil closer to 6 minutes for a softer yolk, and closer to 7 minutes for a firmer yolk.
- Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water and let cool.
- Once cool, peel off the shells and place the eggs into the bowl with the marinade.
- Marinate the eggs in the fridge overnight (or at least a minimum of 6 hours). Slice and eat!
Hi Kathy: I love shoyu eggs but I keep forgetting about them. With your post, I will make some this weekend. I think you forgot to mention one of the classical ways to eat shoyu eggs -- with Chinese sweet/sour pigs feet!!!
Hi Alan! Hooray for shoyu eggs ^_^ Oh yes, that is a good one!! Definitely perfect with pigs feet!! Hope you enjoy.
- Kathy