Mayak eggs, or Mayak gyeran (마약계란), means “drug eggs” in Korean. The name pertains to the tasty, addictive flavor of these jammy eggs, steeped overnight in a sweet soy marinade until they take on a brown color. Serve them over hot steamed rice for a humble but filling weekday lunch, or slice them in half and use like ramen eggs in your instant noodles.
Make jammy eggs: Heat water in a small pot over high heat. Once boiling, carefully add eggs and set the timer for 6 minutes. Meanwhile, make an ice bath by combining water and ice cubes in a bowl. After 6 minutes, transfer hot eggs to the ice bath to cool completely.
Make soy marinade: Combine soy sauce, water, and corn syrup or honey in a bowl or container large enough to hold your eggs. Stir mixture until well mixed. Add green and white onions, garlic, chilies, and sesame seeds.
Marinate eggs: Once eggs are cool enough to handle, peel and discard their shells. Place peeled eggs in the mixture, cover, and let marinate in the fridge overnight.
Serve: Place 2–3 eggs over each serving of hot rice. Garnish with seaweed flakes and a drizzle of sesame oil. Chill leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can, but we recommend dissolving the sugar in warm water first to create a simple sugar syrup. Liquid sweeteners dissolve faster and better than dry sugar, and eliminates the extra step of heating up your marinade.
Nope! You should add sesame oil to your eggs right before serving.
Adding sesame oil to the marinade will shorten the eggs’ shelf life and make them turn rancid faster.