Packed with umami deliciousness, these soy cured egg yolks, paired with some white rice and toppings, will become your next favorite meal!
Raw egg yolks are cured in a simple marinade with soy sauce and a few other ingredients, and turn into this jammy and savory goodness that you’ll fall in love with.
I have to admit, I’ve never been a sunny-side up person. Those half-cooked, runny yolks on a bowl of ramen? Nope. I’m just not up for it.
But recently, I’ve been experimenting with cooking eggs in different ways. My Chinese steamed eggs and Egyptian fried boiled eggs were both so unique and yet, turned out so amazing, I really wanted to take things further and try my hands at a no-cook recipe.
And boy oh boy, I’m so glad I did!
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
My favorite part about this recipe is the fact that these are so easy to make, and an absolute umami bomb.
You’ll need just minutes of hands-on time to put these together, and they’ll be ready the next day.
Ingredients For the Soy Cured Egg Yolks Recipe
You’ll need just a few simple ingredients to make the egg yolks in soy sauce.
Egg yolks: I would recommend using pasteurized egg yolks for this recipe. Using them will reduce the risk of any possible food borne illness.
Seasonings: I kept the seasonings simple and used just onion powder and garlic powder to get that beautiful umami flavor.
Soy sauce: Use good quality dark soy sauce to get the perfect color.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Soy Cured Egg Yolks
Once you have all the ingredients ready, here’s what you’ll need to do to make the recipe.
Step 1: Start by preparing the marinade in a bowl. Add the egg yolks in carefully.
Step 2: Cover up the bowl to preserve freshness and place it in the refrigerator overnight.
Step 3: Using a spoon, flip the egg yolks over and let them cure in the mixture for another 12 hours.
Step 4: Your salted egg yolks are ready to eat!
Substitutions & Variations
- In addition to the soy sauce, you can also add a bit of mirin to lend the marinade a bit of sweetness and give it an extra umami flavor.
- You can also experiment with different types of soy sauce. Kikkoman soy sauce is a great choice, but you can also choose low sodium soy sauce if you want the yolks to be lighter in flavor.
- To top the cured egg yolks, you can also use some bonito flakes.
💭Top Tip
When you’re refrigerating the egg yolks, cover the container to ensure that the top of the egg yolks don’t dry up.
Equipment
How to Store Leftover Marinated Egg Yolks
Your leftover marinated egg yolks can be refrigerated for an extra 24 hours. Make sure you cover the container with a lid at all times.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- The marinade time for this recipe totally depends on you! You can also choose to marinate the egg yolks for up to 48 hours, especially if you like them firmer. Don’t go beyond 48 hours though.
- Remember that the egg yolks need to be evenly cured. To do this, you’ll need to flip the egg yolks at the 12 hour mark, so that the other side of the yolk also gets enough time to soak in the soy sauce mixture.
- I wouldn’t recommend adding any extra salt here, because regular soy sauce usually is quite salty on its own.
- If you’re not sure you’ll remember flipping the egg yolks at the 12 hour mark, you can make some extra marinade- enough that it should submerge the yolks.
- Another great way to ensure that the marinade covers the top too, you can place a paper towel on top of the yolks and then refrigerate it.
How to Serve the Cured Egg Yolks
These pickled egg yolks taste insanely delicious when topped on a bowl of rice. The hot rice works wonders with the jammy texture of the cured eggs.
I would recommend sticking to white rice for this recipe, and experimenting with the toppings and add-ons.
Furikake, roasted seaweed, chopped green onions and a little drizzle of sesame oil are all great options. If you love a bit of spicy kick, some fermented jalapeno hot sauce should be great too.
I love the idea of adding these to my honey sriracha shrimp rice bowl or pairing them with my baked teriyaki tofu dish.
If you’re making homemade onigiri, these egg yolks could be an incredible filling. Just make sure you use the firmer, 48-hour marinated egg yolks when you’re making these.
FAQs
Your leftover marinade can be a delicious umami sauce for your rice and noodle dishes.
You can use the leftover egg whites for another delicious meal. I love using them to make a quick fried rice, tossed with some ginger scallion oil.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Soy Cured Egg Yolks
Ingredients
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Start by preparing the marinade in a bowl. Add the egg yolks in carefully.
- Cover up the bowl to preserve freshness and place it in the refrigerator overnight.
- Using a spoon, flip the egg yolks over and let them cure in the mixture for another 12 hours.
- Your salted egg yolks are ready to eat!
