Soy sauce eggs & avocado
Good to have arounds.
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Yes, keeping boiled eggs on hand is wise. Have boiled eggs, pat self on back. But dip those eggs in a heady marinade before they head to the fridge: high-five self for that. As they bathe, the whites soak up the marinade and the yolks get custardy like lemon curd. Pop an egg and a drizzle of the marinade-sauce on grains or toast. Toss both through cold noodles or a salad of lettuces and/or crunchy vegetables. This is easy eating. The eggs are patient, ready when you are.
Marinating eggs in a salty, heavily-seasoned—possibly acidic—liquid happens the world over; there are ramen eggs, tea eggs, pickled eggs, and as I learned in Koreaworld by Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard, mayak eggs. Today’s recipe is an adaptation of the eggs in Koreaworld, which were appealing to me because there’s a lot going on in their marinade: garlic, scallions, ginger, sesame seeds. I kept going and added avocado, because I was in California during avocado season when I first made this—and combining two mild, creamy ingredients is so cuddly. Scrambled eggs with ricotta, boiled potatoes dragged through mayo. Ice cream dolloped with whipped cream!
PLUS: I bothered Koreaworld’s co-author Matt Rodbard, who’s also the founding editor of Taste, for more info on mayak eggs and the really fun cooking found in the book.
What are Mayak Eggs and any idea how they came to be?
Mayak eggs—soy sauce eggs, cured eggs—to me are the quintessential snack. I put them on a lot on rice dishes. They’re really great for banchan as well.
Marinating eggs in soy sauce and other aromatics is as old as time. But the Mayak egg part (the name loosely translates to “drug eggs”) is more of a recent, modern idiom, which is un-PC to be honest but they became popular with that name.
Besides over rice, how else could you turn Mayak Eggs into a meal? I’m thinking on avocado toast, chopped up into an egg salad sandwich, in soup…?
I mean, yo, avo toast on a nice whole grain bread with sliced Mayaks on top and maybe togarashi and an acidic element like vinegar would be cool. In egg salad, adding a pickle element as well; kimchi would be good in there.
What could you use the leftover marinade for?
To be honest, I’ve never really thought about that. Maybe namul (marinated vegetables) so adding daikon or a Korean radish or blanched spinach to the marinade. [From Ali: More ideas for this in the swaps below.]
For me Koreaworld feels like it's buzzing with inspiration, every page holds something exciting for cooks. Are there any particular cooking techniques or ingredient combos or tricks you learned while working on Koreaworld that you’ve incorporated into your weeknight cooking?
To me it is really essential to know that you can make a quick soup when you use the jangs—gochujang, ganjang, and doenjang—together. It’s a really great technique that these tangs and jjigaes can be made in 15 to 20 minutes. Also, these hot foods aren’t just for winter. They’re a great way to cool you down when it’s hot out.
Going to ask you a question you’ve asked me: What was a “holy shit moment” from working on this book? Meaning, you learned something or figured something out, and you were like, “Holy shit!”?
A lot of the cooking in this book is “holy shit” to me because I’m not Korean and I learned so many things while working on it. But a lot of the holy shits have come from the culture and not putting it in a box. Coffee is really big in Korea and it’s not really associated with Korea that often. I’ve spent a lot of time learning about that. Also, Portland, Oregon, has a very small Korean population in terms of numbers but culturally it’s really prominent and proud. Du’s Grill is a restaurant in Portland serving Korean teriyaki, which we have a recipe for in the book. Holy shit, teriyaki can be Korean. It is Japanese in name and origin only these days.
What’s the one recipe you hope people make from this book, besides Mayak Eggs?
People think gochujang can just be cooked with on its own or slathered on proteins and roasted. But Deuki believes that the best way to enjoy it is to cook it down with garlic, acid (rice vinegar), and ground beef. It tames the jang and caramelizes it into this awesome mother sauce. Put it on bibimbap—the recipe it’s shown on is the Korean Air Bibimbap with Sautéed Gochujang Sauce—or a bokkeumbap (fried rice). To me, always having this around is really great.
Soy sauce-marinated eggs & avocado
Serves 4 to 6 | adapted from Koreaworld
8 large eggs
6 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger
4 scallions
3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce (must be low-sodium!)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 ripe but firm avocados
Lots of cooked rice, for serving
1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add 8 large eggs—carefully—and simmer for 6 minutes. Transfer to an ice bath to cool.
2. Meanwhile, finely chop 6 garlic cloves and 1 inch ginger. Transfer to a medium bowl. Thinly slice 4 scallions and chuck those into the bowl, too. To the bowl, add 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce, 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, and 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Stir well to combine. Cut 2 ripe but firm avocados into large chunks and add to the bowl.
3. Peel the eggs and add to the bowl as well; if the eggs aren’t submerged, transfer them to a different container. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours, stirring occasionally. Eat spooned over rice, with plenty of sauce. If keeping for longer than 24 hours, separate the eggs from the sauce (the eggs firm as they sit and will get rubbery if marinating for too long).
PRINT THE RECIPE
SWAPS
Eggs and avocado: You could marinate any cooked protein or vegetable that sits well or is often pickled, such as tofu, tempeh, cooked chicken, edamame, or thinly sliced zucchini or carrots.
Garlic, ginger, and scallions: You can skip these, or use whichever you have.
Soy sauce: Liquid aminos or black vinegar might get you close. Unfortunately regular soy sauce will make the dish too salty.
Honey: Use brown sugar, or skip and dilute the mixture with more water.
Toasted sesame seeds: Sesame seeds add a nice crunch but you can skip them.
Red pepper flakes: Omit for no heat, or use a thinly sliced fresh chili or scoop of chili paste, sauce, or crisp/crunch.
STUFF TO ADD
Add more nuttiness with a tablespoon or two of sesame oil
Add more umami with crushed gim (seaweed)
Add brightness with Sherry or rice vinegar or lemon juice
In the spirit of tea eggs, add warming spices like whole star anise or peppercorns.
Editing and recipe testing: Caroline Lange
Brand design: Linda Huang