Mayak Eggs (Korean Marinated Eggs)

5 from 4 votes

Mayak eggs (마약계란), or Korean marinated eggs is a popular Korean side dish that makes for a tasty and unique snack! The combination of savory, sweet, and spicy makes the soft-boiled eggs so addicting. They’re easy to make at home, and this version is both soy-free and gluten-free!

Prep Time5

Cook Time6

Marinating Time8

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: drug eggs, korean marinated eggs, mayak eggs, mayak gyeran, soy sauce eggs

Servings: servings - 2 eggs each

Calories: 276kcal

Ingredients

6 eggs
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp sea salt

Marinade

3/4 cup coconut aminos *See notes for soy sauce or tamari sauce
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp honey
4 green onions chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
2 chili peppers red and/or green, diced
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and stir in vinegar and sea salt.
Carefully add the eggs to the water, then simmer for 6 minutes for soft boiled eggs.
Immediately transfer to an ice bath and cool for 5 minutes. Peel the eggs carefully so the eggs aren't damaged while peeling.
In a container with a lid just large enough to fit the eggs, combine all ingredients for the marinade and stir together. Scrap the bottom of the container so the honey is mixed in evenly.
Add the eggs to the marinade, then cover.
Refrigerate and marinate for 8 hours to overnight.
Serve the mayak eggs over rice or cauliflower rice, spooning the sauce mixture over the eggs.

Video

Notes

Expert Tips

Ice Bath: The ice water bath is what stops the eggs from cooking further. So if you are cooking soft-boiled eggs, this process is essential to keep the eggs from getting too firm.
Traditional Ingredients: Traditionally, this recipe uses soy sauce and mirin in the marinade. I substituted ingredients for these to keep this recipe soy-free and gluten-free. There’s no loss in flavor at all! Feel free to these ingredients if you prefer.
Sweetener: I like using honey to sweeten this dish, but some recipes use regular sugar or even corn syrup. While I prefer natural sweeteners, if regular sugar is all you have on hand, it will work with this recipe.
Soy Sauce: If you’d rather use soy sauce or tamari sauce, just use 1/2 cup sauce and 1/2 cup water and omit the salt. The rest of the recipe can stay the same.

Serving Tips

The best way to serve Mayak Gyeran is to serve it over rice or cauliflower, spooning extra sauce on top so the rice can soak it all up.
You can garnish with more green onions, sesame seeds, and sliced chili peppers if you like, or even add a drizzle of sesame oil.
It's also delicious over ramen, kind of like ramen eggs!

Storage Tips

Store leftover Mayak eggs in an airtight container with the marinade in the fridge for up to 7 days.
I don’t recommend saving leftover marinade to marinate another batch of eggs since the flavors won't be the same, and it may go bad. Instead, you can use it as stir-fry sauce or to flavor fish or other Asian dishes and use it within 24-48 hours.

Nutrition