Discover the secrets to making perfectly marinated eggs with minimal effort. Use this simple recipe to make delicious and flavorful eggs that will elevate your noodles and rice bowls. {Gluten-Free Adaptable, Vegetarian}
Marinated eggs are very important in China. They’re great for snacking, a quick breakfast, or to top off a bowl of noodles or rice. In the past I’ve shared how to make tea eggs and soy sauce eggs. Today I want to share these super quick and easy marinated eggs that you can put together in no time. They use only 5 ingredients and fewer steps than my previous recipes. They are perfect for any day of the week to satisfy your egg cravings.
Marinated eggs ingredients
These marinated eggs only require a few pantry staples:
- Eggs
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Sugar
- Five spice powder
- Water
These seasonings make a delicious and well balanced savory sauce with a warm taste full of umami. Different from my previous recipes, this recipe uses powdered Chinese five spice to replace the constituent whole ingredients, making the cooking process much easier.
How to make marinated eggs
- Combine the sauce ingredients and heat it in the microwave
- Boil the eggs
- Cook the eggs to your preferred doneness
- Chill the boiled eggs in cold water before peeling
- Add the peeled eggs with sauce into a ziplock bag
- Store the marinated eggs in the fridge until ready to eat
Tips for making perfect eggs
- Use enough water to cover the eggs, so they cook evenly.
- Lower the eggs into the water using a ladle, to prevent the eggs from cracking.
- After 1 minute of boiling, rotate each egg in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes, so the yolk will be centered within the shell.
- Immediately transfer the boiled eggs to a big bowl of cold water to stop cooking.
- Quickly crack each of the eggs just after you add them to the cold water, when they are still hot. This makes the peeling much easier, especially for runny eggs and soft boiled eggs.
How to serve the marinated eggs
These marinated eggs are great with everything! You can:
- Top them on avocado toast
- Top them on ramen, noodle soup or a chicken rice bowl
- Eat them by themselves as a snack
- Make a quick meal by topping the eggs on steamed rice with a splash of the marinade and a drizzle of chili oil
How to store the marinated eggs
You can store these eggs in their marinade in the fridge for a couple of days. Like I mentioned in the recipe, you can start with a smaller amount of water to create a stronger sauce, so the eggs will be ready faster. If you plan to eat and store the eggs for longer, I recommend using 1 cup of water, so the taste is more balanced and the eggs won’t get overly salty over time.
Other delicious egg recipes
- Chinese Zucchini Pancakes (糊塌子)
- Steamed Egg with Minced Pork (肉末蒸水蛋)
- Chicken Egg Foo Young
- Easy Egg Fried Rice (蛋炒饭)
- Japanese Egg Sandwich (Tamago Sando)
- Tomato And Egg Stir Fry (西红柿炒鸡蛋)
Quick Marinated Eggs
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon five spice powder
- 1 cup water (*Footnote 1)
Instructions
- Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and five spice powder in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave until hot, 30 seconds or so. Mix well to dissolve the sugar and the five spice.
- Prepare a pot that is large enough to hold all the eggs without overlapping them. Add enough water to cover the eggs. Heat over medium-high heat until boiling.
- Transfer the eggs to a ladle or a colander. Slowly lower the eggs into the water to prevent them from cracking. Adjust the heat so the water maintains a slow boil. Let the eggs boil for 1 minute, then use a ladle or a pair of chopsticks to rotate each egg, to make the yolks more centered (Optional).
- Cook for 6 minutes for runny yolks, 8 minutes for semi-firm, or 11 minutes for hard boiled.
- Once done, drain the hot water immediately and run cold water over the eggs. While the eggs are still hot, quickly crack the eggs inside of the cold water (it makes peeling much easier). Cover the eggs with cold water and let cool enough to handle by hand. Then peel the eggs.
- Transfer the cooked eggs into a zip lock bag and pour in the cooled marinade. Add 1/2 cup water if you plan to use the eggs in a couple of hours the same day (Footnote 1). Use 1 cup water instead, if you plan to marinate the eggs overnight (highly recommended, for better flavor). The eggs can be refrigerated in the marinade for up to 3 days.
Notes
- If you use 1/2 cup water, the eggs will be ready to eat quite quickly, usually after 2 to 4 hours of marinating. However, the eggs will be quite salty if you store them for more than a day. If you start with 1/2 cup water so the eggs will be ready fast, add another 1/2 cup water to the remaining batch so they will stay fresh in the fridge for a while and won’t taste overly salty.
