Mayak Eggs (Korean Marinated Eggs)

These Mayak eggs call for simple ingredients to make the most flavorful batch of eggs ever! These soft & jammy eggs are soaked in a delicious marinade overnight to create a wonderful burst of flavor in every bite. Make your own batch today with this quick and easy recipe.

What are Mayak Eggs?

“Mayak Gyeran” (마약계란), which is the Korean name of this dish, translates to “drug eggs” to signify the incredibly delicious and addictive taste of these eggs, as its alluring flavor is guaranteed to have you craving for more.

Soy marinated eggs have always been my weakness. This recipe in particular is hands down one of my favorite banchan (Korean side dish) to make as it is suitable for any time of the day.

The beauty of these Korean marinated eggs lie in their versatility, as it can be used as an excellent garnish to heighten the flavors of any dish that you prefer. They also make for an incredible substitute for ramen eggs which contain similar flavor notes.

The irresistable “Mayak” marinade

The highlight of this mayak eggs recipe is the sweet and savory sauce with aromatics from the garlic, green onion, onion, and chili peppers, as well as the nutty aromas from the sesame oil and seeds.

Served over a bowl of rice or noodles, these marinated eggs make for an entirely satisfying meal on their own, which makes the dish to be an absolute staple to have in my fridge.

What do I need to make Mayak Eggs?

Korean marinated eggs, despite their intense flavor, require only a handful of ingredients to make. Perfect to meal prep for your busy week ahead! Here is a list of ingredients you will need:

• Eggs: I used 6 large sized eggs for this recipe, but you can add as many eggs as you’d like so long as they are soaked in the marinade.
• Soy sauce, honey, and water: for the marinade. Using a liquid-based sweetener is recommended to quickly blend into the marinade as it eliminates the extra step of heating it up on the stove.
  • For the sauce, you can use any regular kind that you can find at the grocery store – I personally used Lee Kum Kee’s soy sauce for this recipe.
• Onion, green onion, garlic, and chili pepper: for the aromatics. I used a mix of red and green chili peppers for this recipe, but please feel free to use any kind of chilies you can find for your marinade.
• Toasted sesame seeds: for that delicious nutty flavor.

How to make the perfect jammy eggs every time

Use room-temperature eggs if possible.

To bring your eggs to room temperature, take out them from your fridge and place them on the counter for about 30 minutes prior to boiling them.

If you are short on time, you can also add them to a bowl of warm water and let them sit for 5-10 minutes to quickly bring them to room temperature.

This will ensure the eggs are thoroughly cooked while maintaining that soft jammy texture while also preventing any cracks which are often caused by a rapid change of temperature.

Add vinegar and salt to your boiling water.

Adding vinegar and salt will make it easier for the eggs to peel, especially when the eggs are soft inside, it makes the process much more seamless.

Simmer the eggs for 6 minutes on the dot.

When the water comes to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and gently place the eggs, one at a time. Boil for exactly 6 minutes for large eggs at room temperature.

If you are using cold eggs from the fridge, you can increase the boil time for 7 minutes, but please be advised that the sudden variance in temperature may cause the egg shell to crack.

To achieve the perfect cross-section, stir the eggs around in the pot for about 30 seconds in one direction to set the yolk in the middle. Prepare a bucket of ice water before the eggs finish cooking to immediately transfer them to cool when your timer goes off.

How to peel soft boiled eggs with ease

The key step is to cool the eggs completely before peeling, for at least 5-10 minutes. The ice bath will cause the egg to contract and pull away from the shell, which will make the peeling process a lot easier.

To peel the eggs without any scratches or cracks, work slowly with each egg.

The first step is to gently tap and crack the entire surface of the egg, and proceeding to gently peel off a small portion of the eggshell and its thin layer of the membrane.

Once a small portion is peeled off, you can either use your hands or a small teaspoon to gently peel off the rest of the eggshell. Perfect soft-boiled eggs require a bit of patience, but definitely worth the effort!

Marinate the eggs overnight for the extra burst of flavor. Properly stored, these eggs are good for 3-4 days in the fridge, although I personally prefer them the next day. As the eggs marinate over time, they will soak up more flavor.

How do you serve Mayak Eggs?

My favorite way to serve a soy marinated egg is on top of freshly cooked rice, in which I add some chopped green onions, sesame seeds, dried seaweed flakes, and a drizzle of sesame oil on top.

It makes for an excellent garnish over a bowl of noodles (soba, ramen, udon, etc) as well, or any dish that you prefer.

What can I do with the leftover marinade?

Although it is possible to reuse the marinade to make another batch of eggs, the flavors and texture of the second batch may not be as ideal. It will also go bad a lot faster than the first batch.

Instead, the leftover marinade can be used as an excellent garnish to heighten the flavors of any dish that you prefer, or to be used in your stir-frying sessions!

They also make for an incredible substitute for ramen eggs which contain similar flavor notes.

I hope you enjoy this easy and delicious Korean eggs recipe, and please leave me a comment below or message me on Instagram if you have any questions!

Other easy Korean recipes you may like:

• Soondubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew)
• Gamja Jorim (Korean Braised Potatoes)
• Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew)
• Dubu Jorim (Korean Braised Tofu)
• Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)