Soy cured egg yolks are usually added on top of hot white rice, which adds a jammy texture and savory & umami flavor to your rice. The raw egg yolks are marinated in soy sauce, mirin & other goodies (bonito, kombu, garlic and onions) for a few hours or overnight. When the egg yolks are sitting in the marinate, they soak up the delicious flavors and they turn a deeper color!
I got this recipe idea from seeing this viral onigiri (Japanese rice ball) restaurant in Japan. They added a few salted egg yolks in the center of the onigiri and it looked so delicious. Soy cured eggs are easy to make, and they can be served in a variety of ways. I like to use them as a topping for salads, rice bowls, and noodles. The best way (in my opinion) to eat them is with hot white rice, furikake, and roasted seaweed.
How long should I marinate for?
It depends on how you like your eggs! See below for the flavor profile and the texture of how long the eggs are marinated for in the refrigerator. I recommend at 8 hours to 24 hours for a delicious, flavorful and jammy texture.
4 hours – runny and lightly salted
8 hours – a little runny and jammy; salted
24 hours or overnight – jammy and salty (recommended)
48 hours – more firm and very salty
I don’t recommend marinating more than 48 hours because the yolk gets too salty.
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR YOUR SOY CURED EGG YOLKS:
There are two different soy marinades (simple OR extra umami soy cured eggs) that you can make for your soy cured eggs. Both are delicious, but the extra umami requires more ingredients and a little more time (5 more minutes) to make. I prefer the extra umami version for extra flavor!
Use fresh pasteurized egg yolks for this recipe! Pasteurized eggs are have been heated to kill off bacteria, so the chances of a food borne illness lowers significantly.
Serving Size: 4-5 people (feel free to half the recipe if you want a smaller portion!)
simple soy cured egg yolks:
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 8-10 (pasteurized) egg yolks – separate from egg white. Save egg whites for another recipe or breakfast!
extra umami soy cured egg yolks:
- 1 garlic minced
- ¼ small onion – sliced
- ½ sheet kombu (kelp) – dried seaweed that is usually used to add flavor to stews and sauces
- ¼ cup bonito flakes – dried shaved fish that has a smoky and umami flavor
- ½ cup water
- ¾ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup mirin
- 8-10 egg (pasteurized) egg yolks – separate from egg white. Save egg whites for another recipe or breakfast!
STEPS TO MAKE THE SOY CURED EGG YOLKS:
Step 1. Make soy marinade (pick one method):
simple soy cured eggs: Mix ½ cup soy sauce and 2 tablespoons mirin in a medium sized container. Mix sauce and set aside.
extra umami soy cured eggs: Mince garlic and slice ¼ of your onion. In a medium sized container, add minced garlic, sliced onion, ½ sheet kombu, ¼ cup bonito flakes, ½ cup water, ¾ cup soy sauce, and ¼ cup mirin. Mix sauce well and set aside.
Step 2. Separate egg whites from egg yolks. Gently add the egg yolks in the soy sauce mixture. Cover with a paper towel on top. This ensures the that the top of egg yolk is marinated. Close or seal the container tightly and place in the refrigerator.
Step 3. Take out egg yolks at the desired time (4, 8, or 24 hours) depending on your egg preference. I love to take it out at 8 hours or 24 hours and put it on top of hot white rice.
Step 4. Served soy cured eggs with hot white rice, noodles, or spread on top of toast.
What dish can I make with soy cured egg yolks?
- onigiri – Make sushi rice and add a salted egg yolk in the middle. Then, wrap the rice ball in crispy seaweed. Try the egg yolks in these grilled onigiri.
- mixed rice bowl – Add salted egg yolks on top of hot white rice. Mix in some roasted seaweed, furikake, and green onions for a delicious meal!
- add on top of udon (any type of noodle) or toast for an extra umami & salty kick!
Cooking Tips to Make Soy Cured Egg Yolks
- when you separate your eggs, be careful to not break the yolk. Once the egg yolk breaks, you can’t add it in the soy marinade. This would make the marinade very messy and turn a different color
- if your marinade doesn’t cover the top of the egg yolks, use a paper towel to cover the top and the tops of the yolks will get marinated.
What do I do with the leftover marinade?
After you’re done eating the egg yolks, don’t throw away the marinade. I recommend to boil the liquid for a few minutes and then let it cool down. After the liquid is cooled, add more egg yolks. The marinade can keep for 1 week maximum.
- boil the liquid again and marinate more egg yolks
- Put the soy marinade on top of your rice or noodles!
Check Out More Japanese Recipes
- Omurice (Japanese Rice Omelette) – savory tomato rice served with fluffy scrambled eggs or an omelette topped with ketchup or demi-glace sauce.
- Katsudon (Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl) – made with crispy fried pork cutlets simmered in a delicious dashi sauce.
- 10-Minute Egg Toast Sandwich – eggs are cooked in brown butter very quickly (under 30 seconds!) so they are fluffy and soft and then garnished with Japanese condiments.
Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ rating below and share it on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Soy Cured Egg Yolks
Ingredients
simple marinade:
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 8-10 egg yolks from pasteurized eggs
extra umami marinade
- 1 garlic minced
- ¼ small onion sliced
- ½ sheet kombu (japanese kelp)
- ¼ cup bonito flakes
- ½ cup water
- ¾ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup mirin
- 8-10 egg yolks from pasteurized eggs
Instructions
Make soy marinade (pick one method):
- simple marinade: Mix ½ cup soy sauce and 2 tablespoons mirin in a medium sized container. Mix sauce well and set aside.extra umami marinade : Mince garlic and slice ¼ of your onion. In a medium sized container, add minced garlic, sliced onion, ½ sheet kombu, ¼ cup bonito flakes, ½ cup water, ¾ cup soy sauce, and ¼ cup mirin. Mix sauce well and set aside.
- Separate egg whites from egg yolks. Gently add the egg yolks in the soy sauce mixture. Cover with a paper towel on top. This ensures the that the top of egg yolk is marinated. Close or seal the container tightly and place in the refrigerator.
- Take out egg yolks at the desired time (4, 8, or 24 hours) depending on your egg preference. I love to take it out at 8 hours or 24 hours and put it on top of hot white rice.
- Served soy cured eggs with hot white rice, noodles, or spread on top of toast.
Rosy says
This looks amazing! Would it work with white wine vinegar?
Dana says
Hi Rosy, I recommend to not use white vine vinegar in case it is too sour. If that is all you have, I would omit the vinegar ◡̈
Eli says
Hello! I’d like to try this but I don’t have any mirin on hand. I do have rice vinegar, and from what I understand it’s supposed to be similar, so do you think I could use it as a substitute?
Thank you!
Dana says
Hi Eli, I recommend to get mirin because it is slightly sweet rice wine (not bitter). It’s not as sour as rice vinegar so I would not use it as a substitute.
Scott Westfall says
, I was just wondering about the Kombu. The one I have is in pretty large sheets, about 6″x5″ Do you put the whole sheet of kombu into the marinade or do you chop or crumble it some? Thanks for the new recipe, I’ve made salted egg yolks before but Asian food is one of my favorites but I never thought of using soy, marin, bonito dashi or flakes. This sounds absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to try it. 😘 One more question, how long will they keep in the refrigerator as my salted egg yolks would last for at least a month but they were salted to the point of being like a dry cheese.
Dana says
Hi Scott! I just crumble a few pieces of kombu in the marinade. Not too much is needed. I would keep the egg yolks for 3 days maximum in the refrigerator. When it gets to 2 days, I find it too salty. Make them in smaller quantity if you can’t eat it all ◡̈
Jazz says
It looks delicious! When you say 1 garlic, do you mean one head of garlic or 1 clove of garlic?
Dana says
Hi jazz, sorry for my late comment. It’s one clove of garlic.
Adam says
Interesting recipe. I made the simple marinade but only had superior dark soy sauce to use. I marinated for 24 hours. I think that was a bit of a mistake. It was still an interesting flavor. I think I would have preferred a shorter marinade time and definitely regular or low sodium soy sauce. I’ll definitely be trying it again. It cured what I was craving.
Cook With Dana says
Hi Adam! Thanks for sharing your insight. I definitely recommend regular or low medium soy sauce so they egg has more flavor and looks less dark. Dark soy sauce has a thicker consistency as it is a condiment to add to foods for coloring instead of flavor. Hope you can try it again and let me know if it tastes better ◡̈
-Dana
Sum says
Made it for 8 hours and LOVED it!!! My question is can you keep it? And how do you store it & how long can it last? Thanks!!
Dana says
Yay! I kept if for 2 days in the refrigerator and try to eat all of it before then. If kept too long, I find it too salty.
Ken De Loreto says
As promised, this is an easy-to-make, fun umami bomb. We added it on top of our beef bulgogi, baby boy chow, and sticky rice bowl last night…AMAZING!