Shio Yudetamago is a popular Japanese dish that is sure to change your perception of boiled eggs. By seasoning the eggs while still in their shells, you can enjoy their uniquely mild and salty flavor.
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What is Shio Yudetamago?
Shio Yudetamago is a popular Japanese dish featuring boiled eggs seasoned with salt while still in their shells. "Shio" means salt, and "Yudetamago" refers to boiled eggs. Instead of sprinkling salt onto the boiled eggs, this dish involves seasoning the eggs within their shells through osmotic pressure, resulting in mildly salted boiled eggs.
Similar to Nitamago (Japanese seasoned boiled eggs), this dish can also be used as a ramen topping. No special ingredients are needed to make it. You are sure to be surprised and impressed.
How to season eggs with their shells still on
Perhaps some readers might think that adding salt to the water used for boiling eggs will not result in eggs with a salty taste. Indeed, that is correct; no matter how much salt is added to the water, the eggs will not become salty. To infuse a salty flavor into the eggs within their shells, it is necessary to let them soak in a salty solution for a long time after boiling.
To infuse the flavor, saturated brine is used. Egg shells contain thousands of microscopic pores, and by soaking the boiled eggs in saturated brine, osmotic pressure allows the saltiness to penetrate through those pores and infuse the eggs with flavor.
While this might sound like a complex scientific experiment, the actual cooking process is straightforward. Additionally, it doesn't require any special cooking tools, so rest assured.
Guide to adjusting egg consistency
Similar to regular boiled eggs, shio yudetamago can achieve your preferred egg consistency by adjusting the boiling time.
The following shows how the consistency of the eggs changes at different times when they are taken directly from the refrigerator and boiled over medium heat in plenty of water. Use this as a guide to achieve your desired texture.
5 mins: The egg white begins to set.
6 mins: The outer part of the yolk slightly solidifies but still flows when cut.
7 mins: The egg becomes soft-boiled. The yolk is slightly firm and flows out less, while the white is set but still tender.
8 mins: The egg remains soft-boiled. The center of the yolk is runny, but it hardly flows out when cut.
9 mins: The yolk is less runny but still moist.
10 mins: The outer part of the yolk is hard-boiled, but the center is still moist.
11 mins: The yolk is quite set.
12 mins: The egg is mostly hard-boiled. The yolk is almost fully cooked.
However, keep in mind that shio yudetamago doesn't require cooling the eggs in cold water after boiling, so there is a possibility that the eggs might cook a bit more than the specified time conditions.
📋Step-by-step recipe
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup water
- 2.8 oz salt
Instructions
🕒 Total: 13 hrs 20 minsThis recipe calls for boiling eggs for 8 minutes to achieve a soft-boiled consistency, but you can adjust the boiling time according to your preference.
Step 1
Put water and salt in a ziplock bag and mix until the salt is dissolved (it is okay if it doesn't dissolve completely). Place the ziplock bag in the refrigerator and let it chill for about an hour.
Step 2
Fill a large pot with plenty of water and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and carefully add the eggs, which should be taken directly from the refrigerator, one at a time using a ladle. Cook them for 8 minutes or for your preferred duration.
Step 3
Take the ziplock bag out of the refrigerator. Once the eggs are cooked, remove them from the pot and place them in the ziplock bag while they are still warm. After the eggs have cooled, return the ziplock bag to the refrigerator and let it sit for 12-18 hours.
To Store
You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days with the shell still on, after removing it from the ziplock bag. If it is hard-boiled, it can be kept for up to 6 days.
Tips on how to make
- Soak the eggs in saturated brine while they are still warm. This will help infuse them with a salty flavor.
- Make sure not to soak the eggs in saturated brine for more than 24 hours. Allowing them to sit for a longer period will cause the eggs to develop an overly intense flavor.
Recipe card
Shio Yudetamago (Japanese Salted Boiled Eggs with Shells)
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup water
- 2.8 oz salt
Instructions
- Put water and salt in a ziplock bag and mix until the salt is dissolved (it is okay if it doesn't dissolve completely). Place the ziplock bag in the refrigerator and let it chill for about an hour.
- Fill a large pot with plenty of water and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and carefully add the eggs, which should be taken directly from the refrigerator, one at a time using a ladle. Cook them for 8 minutes or for your preferred duration.
- Take the ziplock bag out of the refrigerator. Once the eggs are cooked, remove them from the pot and place them in the ziplock bag while they are still warm. After the eggs have cooled, return the ziplock bag to the refrigerator and let it sit for 12-18 hours.
Notes
- This recipe calls for boiling eggs for 8 minutes to achieve a soft-boiled consistency, but you can adjust the boiling time according to your preference.
- You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days with the shell still on, after removing it from the ziplock bag. If it is hard-boiled, it can be kept for up to 6 days.
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