Mayak Gyeran

Soy marinated eggs are a banchan (i.e., a Korean side dish intended to be eaten with rice) that comes together really quickly and is so incredibly delicious.

If you are new to Korean cuisine, this banchan would be the perfect introduction to classic Korean flavors. For example, the basis of this dish is soy sauce or ganjang (간장) which is one of the three cooking staples in Korean cuisine, the other two being fermented soybean paste or doenjang (된장) and fermented red pepper paste or gochujang (고추장). Alliums like garlic and scallion are also a hallmark of Korean cooking! Korean red pepper flakes are also extensively used in Korean dishes and if you’ve never tried it before, it’s mild, floral, almost sweet.

In combination with all of these classic flavors, mayak gyeran or “drug eggs” truly live up to the hype. Some recipes call for a sweetener like sugar; I used honey as I thought it lended a subtle and balanced sweetness to the egg marinade!

Mayak Gyeran with Quail Eggs

• 12 quail eggs

• 1 cup soy sauce

• Good splash of apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar

• 1 TBSP honey

• Fat pinch of gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)

• Fat pinch of sesame seeds

• 2 scallions sliced

• 2 cloves of garlic minced

Make the marinade. Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, scallion, and garlic. Taste to adjust. It should be salty sweet and tangy.

Prep the eggs. Bring quail eggs to room temp (I let them hang out in a bowl with warm water). Bring a pot of water to a relaxed boil and drop in eggs. Cook for 2 minutes and immediately drop into ice bath. Peel eggs and nestle into marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Eat within 2-3 days although they won’t last that long because they’ll be gone (in your belly). Enjoy!