Do you love savory and spicy flavors? Then it’s time for you to meet your new best friend—the Korean marinated eggs. This is one of the easiest ways to spice up a boring meal and will be sure to keep your taste buds awake with its amazing flavors.
Marinated eggs are a typical side dish in Korean home cooking. It is a quick and easy recipe that goes well with almost any meal, especially rice. These marinated eggs are spicy and fragrant from the aromatics used to marinate them (soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and hot chili).
How do you serve mayak eggs?
There are a few ways to serve Korean marinated eggs. You can either serve the seasoned raw egg yolks as a side dish or serve cooked hard-boiled eggs with the marinade as a dipping sauce.
Serve these alongside other classic Korean barbecued meats such as bulgogi beef skewers, grilled pork belly, kimchi pancakes, and spicy chicken wings.
I personally eat these mayak eggs with rice, roasted seaweed sheets, and kimchi on the site. Drizzling some sesame oil if you serve it with rice. They are a perfect combination of a savory and nutty dish.
I also tried them with mixed rice, pancakes, and kimchi. They are definitely very addictive and tasty. I’m sure you’ll go crazy for them.
How long do Korean marinated eggs last?
The Korean marinated eggs last about 3-5 days, depending on how you marinate them and how they are cooked. Cooked eggs, meanwhile, will last up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
How to make perfect eggs?
The hardest part of this recipe is boiling the eggs. You might think it’s a simple process, but what we’re trying to achieve here is the perfect soft-boiled eggs with jammy and running yolk.
Sometimes the yolk can be hard if you overcook the egg, or you can find yourself scratching or breaking the egg when it’s not cooked enough.
Here are a few tricks to achieve the perfect eggs:
Avoiding the indentation on the bigger end
To avoid the large dimple on the egg white and achieve that perfect shape, you want to drop the eggs in the water only after the boiling starts and make sure to also have the egg fully submerged in the boiling water.
Peeling soft eggs smoothly
Add salt and vinegar will make it easier to peel the eggs.
Tap and crack the eggs gently, then start to peel a small portion of the eggshell. You can either use your hand or a spoon to peel off the rest of the eggshell.
Water tricks to get that jammy yolk
When the water comes to boiling, lower the heat to bring it to a simmer. Drop your eggs in and boil for exactly 6 minutes.
Stir the eggs around for 40 seconds to achieve the perfect shape and set the egg yolk in the middle.
Prepare an ice bath to cold shock the egg immediately after 6 minutes pass.
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
- minced garlic
- jalapeno (optional)
- red chili
- chopped green onion
- sesame seed
- 1/2 cup of soy sauce
- 1/2 cup of water
- 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
How to make Korean marinated eggs
- In a large pot, add water, salt, and vinegar and bring them to a boil.
- Add in the eggs and boil for 6 minutes. Cold shock the eggs by transferring them to an ice bath immediately. Allow them to cool completely.
- Tap and crack the eggs gently, and peel them with your hands or a spoon.
- Making the marinade: In a big bowl, add water, soy sauce, minced garlic, jalapeno (optional), red chili, green onion, sesame seed, and sugar, then stir well.
- Add the eggs to the marinate. Cover them and store them in the fridge for 12 hours.
- Voila! The eggs should last for 3 – 5 days.
Notes:
- To avoid the large dimple on the egg white and achieve that perfect shape, you want to drop the eggs in the water only after the boiling starts and make sure to also have the egg fully submerged in the hot water.
- If you don’t have dark soy sauce to darken the eggs, using brown sugar will help the egg white achieve the dark brown color.
- If you can’t handle spiciness well, I recommend not adding jalapeno and using less red chili, enough to slightly spice things up.

Korean Marinated Eggs
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- minced garlic
- jalapeno (optional)
- red chili
- chopped green onion
- sesame seed
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
- In a large pot, add water, salt, and vinegar and bring them to a boil.
- Add in the eggs and boil for 6 minutes. Cold shock the eggs by transferring them to an ice bath immediately. Allow them to cool completely.
- Tap and crack the eggs gently, and peel them with your hands or a spoon.
- Making the marinade: In a big bowl, add water, soy sauce, minced garlic, jalapeno (optional), red chili, green onion, sesame seed, and sugar, then stir well.
- Add the eggs to the marinate. Cover them and store them in the fridge for 12 hours.
- Voila! The eggs should last for 3 - 5 days.
Video
Notes
- To avoid the large dimple on the egg white and achieve that perfect shape, you want to drop the eggs in the water only after the boiling starts and make sure to also have the egg fully submerged in the hot water.
- If you don't have dark soy sauce to darken the eggs, using brown sugar will help the egg white achieve the dark brown color.
- If you can't handle spiciness well, I recommend not adding jalapeno and using less red chili, enough to slightly spice things up.