Korean Marinated Eggs (Mayak Eggs) — The Most Addictive Thing You Will Make All Week

There is a word in Korean — mayak — that translates roughly to narcotic or drug. That is what these eggs are named after. Not because they contain anything illegal, but because once you have eaten one you will find yourself thinking about them at odd hours of the day, making batch after batch, and putting them on top of everything you cook for the next two weeks. The name is not an exaggeration. These eggs are genuinely that addictive.

The concept is deceptively simple. You cook eggs to a soft jammy yolk, peel them, and submerge them in a marinade made from soy sauce, water, garlic, sugar, sesame oil, and gochugaru — Korean red pepper flakes. Then you wait.

The overnight rest is where the magic happens. The whites absorb the marinade and turn a deep glossy amber. The flavor penetrates every layer. The yolk stays perfectly soft and custardy. By morning you have something that looks spectacular, tastes deeply complex, and cost you about five dollars and twenty minutes of actual effort.

These eggs have taken over Korean social media, Japanese convenience store culture, and the food internet in general for a reason. They are one of those rare recipes that genuinely delivers on every bit of the hype surrounding them. Make them once and you will understand immediately why people call them addictive. Let's get into it.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

The flavor is unlike anything else. The combination of soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, and gochugaru creates a marinade that is savory, slightly sweet, gently spicy, and deeply umami all at once. It is one of the most compelling flavor profiles you will encounter in a simple home recipe.

Only 20 minutes of active work. Boil the eggs, make the marinade, combine them, and refrigerate. The overnight rest does all the real work while you sleep. This is about as low effort as a recipe with this much payoff gets.

Incredibly versatile. These eggs work as a standalone snack, a protein addition to rice bowls, a topping for ramen or noodles, a side dish for any Korean meal, or a meal prep staple that makes every lunch and dinner more interesting all week.

High protein and low carb. Each egg delivers solid protein with minimal calories and virtually no carbohydrates. They fit naturally into keto, low carb, and high protein dietary frameworks without any modifications.

Meal prep gold. Make a batch of six or eight eggs on Sunday and you have a ready to eat high protein addition for every meal of the week. They keep beautifully in the fridge for up to five days and get better with each passing day as the marinade continues to develop.

They look absolutely stunning. The deep amber color, the glossy surface, the white sesame seeds, the bright green onion against the golden yolk — these are among the most visually striking things you can put in a bowl. They photograph beautifully and make any dish they are added to look intentional and impressive.

What Are Mayak Eggs and Why Are They Called That

Mayak Gyeran — mayak eggs — originated in a small area of Seoul called Dongdaemun where street vendors were selling them cheaply by the bag as a popular snack food.

The story goes that once people tasted them they could not stop eating them and kept coming back for more, earning them the nickname mayak which means narcotic in Korean. Whether or not that exact origin story is entirely accurate, the name stuck and the recipe spread.

The core concept draws on a long tradition of soy marinated eggs across East Asia. Japanese ramen eggs — ajitsuke tamago — follow a similar principle of soaking soft boiled eggs in a soy based marinade, and Chinese soy eggs have been a staple of Chinese cooking for generations.

What makes the Korean Mayak version specifically distinctive is the addition of gochugaru — Korean red pepper flakes — which adds a gentle building heat and a subtle smokiness that the Japanese and Chinese versions do not have, and the inclusion of sesame oil which adds a nutty, aromatic quality that rounds out the entire flavor profile.

The other key distinction of the Mayak version is the egg cook itself. These eggs are cooked to a very specific jammy consistency — the whites fully set and the yolks soft, custardy, and just barely set in the very center.

That specific yolk texture absorbs the marinade differently than a fully hard boiled yolk would, staying soft and rich inside the deeply flavored exterior. Getting that yolk right is the most important single step in the entire recipe and with the timing provided in the instructions it is completely achievable every time.

Ingredients

For the Soft Boiled Eggs

• 6 large eggs, at room temperature — room temperature eggs are less likely to crack when they hit boiling water than cold eggs straight from the fridge. Pull them out of the refrigerator 15–20 minutes before cooking
• Ice water for the ice bath — this is non-negotiable, the ice bath stops the cooking process at exactly the right moment and is what keeps the yolk at that perfect jammy consistency

For the Soy Marinade

• 1/2 cup soy sauce — use a good quality regular soy sauce, not low sodium which dilutes the flavor significantly, and not dark soy sauce which is too intense and will make the marinade overpoweringly salty
• 1/2 cup water — dilutes the soy sauce to the right concentration for a marinade rather than a dipping sauce
• 3 tablespoons sugar — balances the saltiness of the soy sauce and helps create that slightly sticky, glossy coating on the egg whites
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced — garlic is a central flavor in this marinade, do not reduce it, the slices infuse the liquid more gradually than minced garlic and give a cleaner deeper flavor
• 2 tablespoons gochugaru — Korean red pepper flakes, this is the ingredient that makes Mayak eggs specifically Korean and specifically addictive. Find it at any Asian grocery store or online. It has a mild fruity heat and a subtle smokiness that is genuinely different from regular chili flakes. If you absolutely cannot find it, regular chili flakes work but the flavor profile changes noticeably
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil — added after cooking to preserve its fragrant nutty aroma, sesame oil loses its fragrance when heated
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced — adds freshness and a mild onion flavor that cuts through the richness of the soy marinade

For Garnish

• Extra sliced green onions
• White sesame seeds — toasted if possible for a nuttier flavor
• A small drizzle of sesame oil right before serving

Key Notes: The single most important variable in this recipe is the egg cook time. Seven minutes in boiling water followed by an immediate ice bath gives you the jammy yolk that makes Mayak eggs what they are. One minute less and the white will not be fully set. One minute more and the yolk starts to firm up and lose that custardy center. Set a timer, use it, and get your eggs into the ice bath the moment it goes off. Everything else in this recipe is forgiving. The egg timing is not.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 — Boil the Eggs to Jammy Perfection

1. Remove the eggs from the fridge 15–20 minutes before cooking to bring them to room temperature. This is particularly important with this recipe because the margin between a jammy yolk and an overcooked one is small and cold eggs require slightly longer in the boiling water which makes timing less precise.
2. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a full rolling boil over high heat. You need enough water to fully submerge all six eggs comfortably.
3. Prepare a large bowl of ice water while the water comes to a boil. Have it ready beside the stove before you add the eggs. You will need to move fast once the timer goes off.
4. Using a slotted spoon, gently lower each egg into the boiling water one at a time. Do this slowly and carefully — dropping eggs into boiling water from a height causes cracking.
5. Set a timer for exactly 7 minutes the moment the last egg enters the water. Do not adjust the heat — keep it at a steady boil throughout.
6. The moment the timer goes off, transfer every egg to the ice bath immediately using the slotted spoon. Do not let even one egg sit in the hot water for an extra 30 seconds — the carryover heat will continue cooking the yolk.
7. Let the eggs sit in the ice bath for a full 5 minutes until completely cold to the touch.
8. Peel the eggs carefully. The 7 minute jammy egg is slightly more delicate to peel than a fully hard boiled egg because the white is just set rather than firm. Peel them gently under a thin stream of cold running water — the water helps the shell release without tearing the white. Take your time and the whites will come out smooth and intact.
9. Set the peeled eggs aside on a paper towel and pat them dry gently. Any excess water on the egg surface will dilute the marinade where it first makes contact.

Step 2 — Make the Soy Marinade

1. Combine the soy sauce, water, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Stir gently until the sugar is completely dissolved — about 2 minutes. You are not boiling the marinade, just warming it enough to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved remove from heat.
3. Add the sliced garlic and gochugaru to the warm soy mixture and stir to combine. The residual heat will begin to bloom the garlic and chili flavors into the liquid immediately.
4. Let the marinade cool to room temperature completely before adding the sesame oil and green onions. Adding sesame oil to hot liquid drives off its fragrance — you want to add it cold to preserve every bit of that nutty aroma.
5. Once the marinade has cooled to room temperature, stir in the sesame oil and sliced green onions.
6. Taste the marinade. It should taste intensely savory, slightly sweet, garlicky, and have a gentle building heat from the gochugaru. If it tastes too salty add a small splash more water. If you want more heat add a pinch more gochugaru.

Step 3 — Marinate the Eggs

1. Place the peeled dried eggs in a clean container or zip lock bag that fits them snugly. A container where the eggs are close together and submerged rather than floating with lots of space is ideal — the tighter the fit the more evenly the marinade covers the eggs.
2. Pour the cooled marinade over the eggs. Every egg should be fully submerged or as close to fully submerged as possible.
3. If using a container, press a small piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the marinade so the eggs stay in contact with the liquid rather than having part of each egg exposed to air above the surface.
4. If using a zip lock bag, press out as much air as possible before sealing so the marinade is in tight contact with every egg surface.
5. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours. Overnight — 8 to 12 hours — is the recommended marinating time and where the flavor and color development is most dramatic. The eggs will be good at 4 hours, excellent at 8 hours, and absolutely exceptional at 12 hours.
6. Turn the eggs or gently shake the container once or twice during the marinating period if possible to ensure even color development on all sides.

Step 4 — Serve

1. Remove the eggs from the marinade and place them in a serving bowl. Pour a few spoonfuls of the marinade over the eggs in the bowl — the liquid in the bowl is part of the presentation and adds a final hit of flavor.
2. Scatter sliced green onions generously over the top.
3. Sprinkle white sesame seeds over everything.
4. Finish with a very small drizzle of sesame oil right before serving for an extra layer of fragrance.
5. Serve whole over steamed rice, sliced in half to show the jammy yolk, or however you prefer. When slicing in half, use a sharp thin knife and wipe it clean between cuts for the cleanest cross section.

Serving Suggestions

Korean marinated eggs are one of the most versatile things you can have in your fridge. Here are the serving combinations that showcase them best:

• The classic and most satisfying way to eat them is over a bowl of hot steamed short grain white rice with a drizzle of the leftover marinade, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and a few sheets of roasted seaweed on the side. This is a complete meal in five minutes when the eggs are already made and waiting in the fridge.
• Halved and placed on top of a bowl of instant or homemade ramen — the jammy yolk breaks into the broth and adds richness that elevates even the simplest instant noodle bowl into something genuinely satisfying.
• Served alongside any Korean meal as a banchan — a small side dish. They pair particularly well with Korean BBQ, japchae, or bibimbap and hold their own against bold flavored mains.
• Sliced in half and served on top of a grain bowl with steamed rice, sauteed spinach, julienned carrots, and a drizzle of gochujang sauce for a fully composed Korean inspired bowl that photographs beautifully and tastes even better.
• Eaten straight from the container as a high protein snack between meals. This is honestly how most of them get consumed in this kitchen and there is zero shame in it.
• Placed on top of avocado toast with a drizzle of the soy marinade instead of the usual everything bagel seasoning for a Korean fusion breakfast that sounds unusual but works remarkably well.

Storage Tips

Refrigerator: Store the eggs submerged in their marinade in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The flavor continues to develop and intensify with each passing day — the eggs on day three taste noticeably more complex and deeply seasoned than the eggs on day one. Some people prefer them on day one for a lighter flavor, others prefer day three for maximum intensity. Both are valid.

Marinade reuse: The leftover marinade after the eggs are eaten is a deeply flavored, umami rich liquid that is too good to throw away. Use it as a dipping sauce for dumplings or gyoza, drizzle it over steamed vegetables, use it as a base for a quick stir fry sauce, or make a second batch of eggs in it immediately. The marinade keeps in the fridge for up to a week.

Do not freeze: Freezing cooked eggs changes the texture of the whites dramatically — they become rubbery and spongy when thawed. Do not freeze these. Make them fresh, eat them within 5 days, and simply make another batch when you need more. The active time is only 20 minutes so this is not a hardship.

Color note: The longer the eggs sit in the marinade the darker the amber color of the whites becomes. Eggs at 4 hours will be lightly golden. Eggs at 12 hours will be a deep rich amber. Eggs at 3 days will be a very deep mahogany brown. All of these are safe and delicious — the color progression is purely a result of continued marinade absorption and does not indicate any spoilage.

Let's Wrap This Up

There is a reason these eggs went viral across every food platform on the internet and the reason is simple — they are one of the best things you can make in 20 minutes of active effort and they deliver a flavor experience that feels completely disproportionate to how little work was involved. That combination does not come around often.

Make a batch tonight. Put them in the fridge. Wake up tomorrow, pull one out, slice it in half over a bowl of rice, and pour a spoonful of that dark glossy marinade over the top. That first bite will tell you everything you need to know about why these eggs have the name they do.

From my kitchen to yours — go make something addictive.

With gratitude, Kip