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:
- Korean Potato Salad (Gamja Salad)
- Soondubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew)
- Gamja Jorim (Korean Braised Potatoes)
- Dubu Jorim (Korean Braised Tofu)
- Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)
Mayak Eggs (Korean Marinated Eggs)
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tbsp each salt and white vinegar for boiling the eggs
- green onions, seaweed flakes, and/or sesame oil for garnish, optional
Marinade
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup honey corn syrup, oligo syrup, or your choice of liquid sweetener
- 1/4 medium onion diced
- 1 green onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 chili pepper diced
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a bowl or a container, add the marinade ingredients and mix to combine, ensuring all the honey is scraped from the bottom.
- Add vinegar and salt to a pot of boiling water. Reduce the heat and gently place each egg into the water. Simmer for 6 minutes (or 10 minutes for hard-boiled eggs). Prepare a large bowl of ice water.
- When the timer goes off, immediately transfer the eggs to the ice water bath. Allow the eggs to cool completely, for at least 5-10 minutes.
- Gently peel the eggs and add them to the marinade. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 6 hours.
- To serve, place the egg over a bed of rice and garnish with green onion, seaweed flakes, and/or sesame oil to your preference. These eggs serve as an excellent garnish over a bowl of noodles as well. Enjoy!
Notes
♥ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a 5-star rating or leave a comment below to share your experience, or tag @cookerru on Instagram to showcase your creations!
117 comments
Sounds amazing, am planning on making it! I took a screen shot of the recipe, and noticed you might have missed vinegar in the ingredients list, hope I don’t sound too pedantic!
Hey Josh, the salt and vinegar are for the boiling water, so I wasn’t too sure whether to add them to the ingredient list. Your feedback is helpful though, I will be sure to add that in! Happy cooking!
Should these be warmed up before serving?
Hi Tara! They are traditionally served cold with a hot bowl of rice, but you could also leave them on the counter for a few minutes to bring them to room temperature if you prefer!
Is there an alternative option you could suggest for the red and green chilies? I live in a small remote area, so it’s not always easy to find food like this. Would pepper flakes work?
Hi Ashley! You can use any kind of chili pepper including jalapeno or regular green chili, or even dried red chilies/chili flakes if that is all you have! The slight kick of spice definitely adds a lot of flavor to the marinade
Most people have boiled eggs and expect it but maybe the preparing ice bath step should come before the boiling
the ice bath is to stop the cooking. eggs continue cooking to cook after being g pulled off the heat. if yoy don’t use the ice bath, ypu will not have had
jammy eggs, they will be fully hard boiled.
I think Justin meant that it should be noted that the user should prepare the ice bath before the eggs are done simmering so that they can be placed into it right away and do not overcooked.
Carol, I believe that Justin just meant the actual act of making the ice bath should come before your eggs are actually boiling, in case some folks don’t do it in time to take their eggs out and plunge them in the bath, given the varying skill levels of most home cooks.
So if you wait until after your eggs are boiled to prepare the ice bath then they over cook while waiting for you to prepare the ice bath. Therefore, get the ice bath ready before boiling the eggs so they can go straight in once done boiling.
I believe she is saying have the ice bath prepared before boiling so the eggs aren’t waiting after cooking
Hi! Do you have any ideas for how the leftover marinade can be used?
Hi Alyssa, the marinade is delicious on its own to mix with some rice, but it also can be season your stir-fried vegetables, meats, or noodles! You can also use it for stir-frying tofu as well to add flavor. It’s such a versatile sauce, so you can definitely put it to use in your other dishes. Happy cooking!
Hi! Am I able to re-use the marinade to marinate more eggs? Or has it gone bad and not able to last another week?
Thanks!
You can, but its better fresh and the next batch of eggs will go bad quicker.
Hi, can i use rice vinegar istead of white vinegar?
Hi Sodko, I would recommend using plain white vinegar as the acidic components are diluted in rice vinegar, so it won’t work too well in making the peeling easier. It isn’t completely necessary to use but definitely will make the process more seamless. I hope that helps!
My family loves these eggs! They taste so so good over some noodles! Thank you for sharing this recipe :)
Absolutely love how versatile these eggs are as well! I serve it over rice, noodles, and tastes amazing over ramen too So happy you and your family enjoyed the recipe Ashley! ღ
I actually never knew boiled eggs could be this good. Great recipe. Fail proof. Such delicious eggs. Now I don’t mind grabbing an egg and having it as a health, high protein snack, even on its own. Thank you!
Hi there! I never know what kind of red pepper and green pepper to buy. Can you specify the name?
Hi Sara! Any kind of chili pepper would do, but the traditional method is to use Cheongyang chili pepper that you will find in Korean grocery stores. I hope that helps!
Today was the 5th time of making this and IT IS SO GOOD every single time. My family devours them so fast I’m thinking of making a bigger batch next time!!
I am so thrilled to hear that Grace! Definitely double or triple the batch for next time! Haha!
I’m Japanese so I usually marinate my jammy eggs in a shoyu-dashi-mirin sort of mixture (you know, the usual Japanese flavors) but this was a delightful change of pace! Thanks for the yummy idea!
Amazing!! I like to switch the marinades up myself, both Japanese and Korean renditions are amazing to add to any dish! So happy you enjoyed it!
I swear I’ve made this over 10 times now and it comes out absolutely delicious every time. Thank you again and again for this recipe!
It is my absolute pleasure! Thank you so much for sharing!!
These eggs are so addictive and they go well with literally everything!! The only change I made was more chili peppers for extra spice. The soy sauce mixture is just pure heavenly goodness. My tastebuds thank you!!
The extra spice sounds fantastic! The chili peppers truly add incredible flavors to the marinade. Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
Hi! Is the 30 seconds of stirring the eggs included in the 6 min of boiling? Can’t wait to try! Looks amazing.
Yes! The eggs are to be boiled for 6 minutes total!
I would give these an extra star if there was an option. You are so right by calling them “drug eggs”. Absolutely, hands down the best boiled eggs I have ever eaten!! I will always have these as a staple in my fridge. Sooooo good!
Haha they truly do live up to their name!! I am so happy you enjoyed them, Leah! Thanks so much for sharing! x
So simple and delicious! Definitely will make again.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Jeremy! :)
I loved these as a kid, my mom made them very often. Ever since moving out, I haven’t had the time to make food as often as I want to for myself, but these make a great quick meal on top of some hot rice. Thanks!
Amazing how food connects us to our childhood and culture! I am so glad you enjoyed them V! x
Question, do you eat them cold over rice? If not, how do you warm them up after marinating overnight?
Looking forward to trying!
Hi Molly! The eggs are served cold over a hot bowl of rice, and they do warm up a bit when they are mixed in. You could also leave them on your countertop while you prepare the rice to bring them to room temperature if you prefer! Hope you enjoy the recipe! :)
these were amazing! this was my first time making any sort of marinated eggs, and they were perfect! the recipe was also thorough, concise, and easy to follow! <3
So glad to hear that Astrid! Thanks for sharing your experience with us! ♡
I made these eggs and they were amazing. Very simple recipe to follow. Thank you for sharing!
The pleasure is all mine Christine! :)
Love it. Perfect for breakfast!!!
Can’t agree more!! ♡
I enjoy Egg eating rice especially with MAYAK EGGS. For this I like to cook eggs. This is definitely an interesting way to Egg. I read about it being too runny but my batter was actually thick and the rice were very delicious. I used all organic ingredients like I do with everything I cook but I doubt that made a difference in the batter though. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you for this yummy recipe! I have made it twice now. Both times, when I ate it (cold) the next day, the texture of the egg becomes kind of hard and chewy. Is there a trick to storing and reheating?
I haven’t had the pleasure to actually taste this recipe but it is now on my weekend to-do list. Thanks for sharing.
Loves these! Use them for homemade ramen soup
Very good!
Delicious.
Absolutely delicious! It’s an easy and tasteful recipe to enjoy in any meal. This is going to be part of my favourite recipes from now on ;)
love your recipe , will make it but I like hard cooked eggs, which should not be a problem, thanks for your good recipes.
Making now. Do you put some of the marinade over the rice with the egg? Don’t have to boil it or make a second batch?
These are great, but a heads up – if you live in high altitude, water boils at a lower temperature. You’ll have to cook your eggs for at least 7 minutes.
A welcome and refreshing change from our usual egg recipes. Very Delicious!!! Highly recommend this! We like ours a little sweeter so we put in some Teriyaki sauce and I didn’t have a fresh pepper so I used some crushed red pepper flakes and it did the trick!
No wonder thry’re called drug eggs. I have made these before and doubled the batch. Fabulous!
Amazing! Rich in flavor and turned out beautifully!
Thanks for the recipe – it worked great. And thank you for having a jump to recipe link – much appreciated after so much time scrolling down to recipes after 1000s of words of text.
So darn good! Going to keep these on hand going forward. Insanely good!!!!
These are delicious! We have our own chooks and at times too many eggs. This adds another dimension to egg eating! Yum
Love it! Thank you.
Can you reuse the marinade for a period of time or is it once batch and done?
Soooooo gooooood
Looks Devine! I haven’t tried it out yet, but was wondering if you’ve ever added some fresh ginger in the marinade before?
Looking forward to it!
I’ve had this recipe saved in my open browser tabs for at least a year. Finally tried it and I’m so pleased I did! I only used one chili because I am a sissy, and I feel like it was perfect. I could have used another minute on the eggs too, and I’ll remember that for next time. Will be making this regularly!
Could you possibly use sambal oelek instead of cutting fresh chili’s? Would that change the flavour too drastically?
The marinade for the mayak eggs no need to cook?
Hello! it looks delicious, gonna make this today! Do you think I can use maple syrup instead of honey?
Thank you!
I made this recipe for the first time. I followed the recipe exactly. It is very delicious I will make it again. I used Bellpeper to add color to the disk.
We really enjoyed these – my teenager made them last night which is always a win!
So delicious!
Tasty!
Thank you for the recipe! I’ve made them a few times and my family and I love them! They go great with rice and noodles :)
Is there any way to get them to last longer than a few days?
I pickle eggs to keep for several weeks to a few months, and would love to have these readily available but not have to remake them every time. Any ideas? Anyone?
Regardless of this, I’m still making a batch to at least eat all week!
Thanks
I’m so excited by this recipe. my eggs are still marinating, I just want to know how to warm the eggs to serve with rice?
An excellent recipe beautifully described. Thank you very much.
I actually never knew boiled eggs could be this good. Great recipe. Fail proof. Such delicious eggs. Now I don’t mibd grabbing an egg and having it as a health, high preotein snack, even on its own. Thank you!
I’ve never had these before, and my whole family likes them.
I live at 6000 feet altitude. The boiling point of water is 185 degrees so things take longer to cook, How much additional time to the 6 minutes should I add?
Can chicken be used instead of eggs?
Omg…! I can’t get enough of this lovely food
it sounds delicious, I will definitely try it
I made this recipe a few months back for the first time. I loved them, and my teenager asks me all the time when im making them again. thank you so much for sharing this recipe. we absolutely love it. I make it once a week now!
I doubled the recipe and for some reason the sauce came out a bit liquidy and bland?
Curious if anybody else tried to scale up the recipe.
I think I’m going to just reduce the sauce and pour over whatever dish I make with these.
Amazing! My husband is addicted to this. I steamed my eggs for 7 mins instead of boiling and it was perfect. Used the marinade for chicken thighs afterwards and it was also good, just be careful the sauce burns easily in the oven
I am addicted. I have to limit myself or I would eat one (or more) every day! So easy, too.
Love these, such a staple and I use them and the marinade for stir fried rice and add them to my bibimbap. Thanks for a great recipe.
Hello Elle and thank you for this! The recipe is fantastic and the name is apropos.
My question for you is this: how did you arrive at the 3-4 day shelf life? My personal experience and expectation is that boiled eggs last for at least one week in the fridge, and eggs marinated in shoyu could reasonably be expected to have an even longer shelf-life, not shorter (because the salt/sugar/garlic osmotically inhibits bacterial growth to a greater degree than fridge temperature alone).
I would expect these eggs to be good in the fridge for 9-10 days, though I’ve never been able to stop eating them long enough to test that theory. So, to reiterate, how did you arrive at 3-4 days? Did you notice an unpleasant taste shift, or are you basing that on a food safety guide from somewhere?
Easy and delicious.
Instantly hooked.
Yummy! I think the eggs are perfect after 7.5 mins in the boiling water.
Hi can you use chilli sauce instead of diced chilli pepper
Tried these eggs today. The marinade is extremely delicious!!! My eggs aren’t as perfectly cooked but I still can’t wait to eat it tomorrow. Thanks for the recipe. ♥️
I simmered the eggs for 6 minutes as you specified and the whites hadn’t really set properly. As soon as I tapped the shells to start peeling, some egg white started oozing out and more pieces split and started coming off with the shell. Will try again, with a longer time simmering. I have previously peeled boiled eggs and removed the shells with no problems (but that was using a longer time).
The recipe sounds amazing.
delicious marinade to make some gorgeous eggs
I’ve been wanting to prepare this kind of marinated eggs for a while, love this recipe.
From Florence, Italy, working with what I have home. No fresh chili peppers, plenty of flakes and powder. No green onions, we are very seasonal here in Italy, but a type of reddish long fresh onion which will substitute the two onions. Just moved into my new home, hope I can find the sesame seeds I had in some box. I happen to have fresh ginger so I am adding it to the marinade because I love ginger and I am quite proud of having it :-D
Wish me well, and thank you for the recipe.
I’ve been making these for the past three years but held off on rating them because there aren’t six stars to give.
I like to add extra crunchies like green onion, and I use 7-8 Thai chilis. It’s not as spicy as it sounds with how soy and rice mutes it, if you like hot salsa it won’t phaze you.
My wife says this is the best marinade in the
world!
Very good recipe !!!
i really like them makes sense y people can them drug eggs because they are so addicting
easy and delicious
I love this. So delicious. I will say I don’t have chili peppers, so I use about a TB of gochujang. They really are addictive!
easy to recook
I have food allergies and made these using tamari. I made rice noodles and used the marinade an eggs and sort of a ramen