Serves 4
Vegetarian Recipes

Soy Marinated Egg
(Lu Dan | 卤蛋)

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Soy Marinated Egg (卤蛋 or Lǔ dàn ) is a popular dish in Chinese cuisine and a tasty way to get all the nutritional benefits from eggs. Despite their small size, eggs are packed with nutrients and contain a bit of almost every nutrient the body needs. And, their high protein content means you stay fuller for longer.

Although typically eaten as a side or snack, Soy Marinated Egg is a very versatile dish that can be served and eaten however you like. And, it is super easy to make! I have memories as a child of there always being a container of Soy Marinated Eggs in the fridge for snacking on after school or grabbing in the morning for a quick breakfast.

The recipe below is a simple one for making Soy Marinated Egg from scratch. Although I typically marinate a batch of eggs whenever I make Chinese Braised Beef Shank (Lu Niu Rou | 卤牛肉), as the braising liquid is already there and ready to be used. Note that marinating the eggs in braising liquid would make them unsuitable for vegetarians. So, if you're not a meat eater, stick to the make from scratch recipe below.

The hardest part of making Soy Marinated Egg is definitely cooking the eggs - I have tried many methods in the quest to achieve the perfect boiled egg! We like our eggs to have soft to slightly runny yolks. To achieve this, I use eggs with slightly thinner shells, as they are easier to peel. The flip side is they are prone to cracking during cooking, but I find that leaving the eggs out to reach room temperature, and then carefully submerging them into boiling water and reducing the heat immediately, helps with this.

Cooking times for eggs will also depend on many factors. I use large eggs, approximately 65g each, and simmer gently for 7.5 minutes. I then plunge them into an ice bath when done to stop the cooking immediately - this ensures you don't have overcooked eggs.

Peeling boiled eggs is a challenge all in itself, but I find it helps to do it whilst they're still slightly warm. Crack the shell gently all over before beginning, and peel carefully without rushing, particularly if your eggs are soft boiled, as they will be very delicate.

The method above has worked very well for me, but I'd love to hear if you have your own favourite way of making the perfect boiled egg!

Here's what you'll need to make Soy Marinated Egg from scratch:
(Click here to jump straight to the recipe)

6-8 large eggs (~65g each)
250ml water
20ml light soy sauce
1 tsp rice wine
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder
1/2 tsp sugar

And here's what you'll need to do:

At least 2 hours before cooking, remove the eggs from the fridge to allow them to warm to room temperature. I usually take them out the night before, as I tend to forget the next day!

Place all the ingredients, apart from the eggs, into a small saucepan.

Bring to the boil, and simmer at a gentle roll for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the marinade to cool whilst you prepare the eggs - this will make enough for up to 8 eggs.

Meanwhile, bring a separate pot of water to boil for the eggs. Using a slotted spoon or ladle, very carefully lower the eggs into the water, and reduce the heat immediately.

Simmer at just below boiling point (the water should only bubble occasionally) for 7.5 minutes for runny yolks. Depending on the size of your eggs, you may need to adjust your cooking time.

Just before the eggs are finished cooking, prepare an ice bath.

Turn off the heat when the eggs are done, and immediately plunge them into the ice bath to stop their cooking. Let them rest for a few minutes until they're cool though to peel but still slightly warm to the touch.
Carefully remove the shells from the eggs.

Place the peeled eggs into a small food storage bag, and pour in the cooled marinade.

Gather and tie the top of the bag with an elastic band, so that the eggs are mostly covered in marinade. Place the bag in a snug container to marinate in the fridge for about 24 hours. You could leave it longer if you like a stronger flavour.

If you have just made Chinese Braised Beef Shank (Lu Niu Rou, 卤牛肉) and have a large batch of eggs to marinate, place them snugly in a bowl just large enough to hold them, and cover them with the braising liquid.

When the eggs are done marinating, discard the liquid, and store them in the fridge in a tightly covered container, or serve straight away.
They'll keep about 3-4 days in the fridge.