Lu Dan (Hard Boiled) - Soy Sauce (Soft Boiled) Eggs

Lu Dan (卤蛋), or Chinese soy-marinated eggs are typically hard boiled while Soy Eggs are typically soft-boiled. Both and simmered in a spiced master stock made of soy sauce, rock sugar, and aromatic spices like star anise, creating their signature savory-sweet flavor and deep brown color.

Ingredients

• 6 to 12 large eggs

Marinade

• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or white sugar)
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 4 dried chilis (or 2 jalapeno peppers) (*Footnote 2)
• 2 star anise pods
• 3 to 4 cups water (*Footnote 3)

Directions

Key ingredients

Soy Sauce

Boil the eggs to the degree you prefer.

1. Put the marinade together using your pantry staples and simmer it for 5 minutes.
2. Add the peeled eggs to the marinade.

That’s it!

1. Then all you need to do is sit back and wait patiently while the eggs marinate.
2. Older eggs are easier to peel compared to fresher eggs.
3. Once you’re done cooking, thoroughly rinse the eggs with cold water and then use an ice bath (or cold water bath) to cool the eggs completely before peeling them.
4. Use the back of a spoon or roll the eggs on a hard surface to crack the shells thoroughly.
5. If you start to peel an egg and find it hard to peel, rinsing the egg with tap water can help separate the shell from the egg.
6. Lastly, if you have an Instant Pot, you can try boiling the eggs in the Instant Pot so they come out perfectly and easy to peel every single time!
7. Eat soy sauce eggs by themselves
8. Top soy sauce eggs on your favorite noodle dishes

Chop them and put them in a salad

1. Top the eggs over steamed rice or boiled noodles to make a quick one-bowl meal
2. 5-Minute soy sauce egg noodle bowls

To make a quick noodle bowl

1. Boil 1 serving of dried thin noodles (or any type of noodles you like, usually 4 oz. / 110 g) according to the directions on the package. Transfer the drained noodles to a bowl.
2. Pour 2 tablespoons of hot noodle boiling water and 2 tablespoons of the egg marinade onto the noodles.
3. Top the noodles with two soy sauce eggs, along with some homemade chili oil.

Prepare the marinade

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a small pot. Bring it to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the stove and let it cool.

Boil the eggs

1. Prepare a pot that is large enough to hold all the eggs without overlapping them. Add just enough water to cover the eggs. Heat over medium-high heat until boiling. Lower the heat to medium.
2. Transfer the eggs to a ladle or a colander. Slowly lower the eggs into the water to prevent them from cracking. Adjust the heat so the water maintains a slow boil.
3. Bring a small pot with just enough water to cover your 6 eggs to a boil.
4. (Optional) If you wish to keep the egg yolks in the center of the eggs, stir the water in a consistent circle for the first minute of cooking.
5. Cook for 6 minutes for runny yolks, 8 minutes for semi-firm, or 11 minutes for hard boiled.
6. While the eggs are boiling, prepare an ice bath (or a big bowl of cold water if you don’t have ice).
7. When the eggs are done cooking, run cold water over them for 30 seconds. Add the eggs to the ice bath and let them cool completely, about 10 minutes.

Marinate the eggs

1. Once the marinade is cooled until no longer hot to touch, transfer it into a tall container that is large enough to hold 8 cups of water (*Footnote 4).
2. Carefully crack the egg shells by tapping them with the back of a spoon or by gently rolling them on the counter. Starting from the bottom, begin peeling each egg, dipping it back into the water as needed to help loosen the shell. Make sure to peel off the egg membrane completely, so the egg will marinate evenly. Once peeled, place the eggs into the marinade container.
3. Marinate the eggs in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours before serving. If you want to serve the eggs sooner, simply drizzle some extra marinade onto the cut eggs. Store the eggs in the marinade in the fridge for up to a week.

How to serve

1. You can serve the eggs over steamed rice or boiled noodles, drizzled with extra marinade and some homemade chili oil (if you wish). You can also make noodle soup by combining some marinade with hot noodle boiling water. Enjoy!

Notes

TIP: Want a taste of the soy sauce eggs immediately? That’s OK, too! Simply cut the eggs open and drizzle a bit of marinade over the yolk and enjoy!

When you’ve just added the eggs to the marinade, you will see a small number of the eggs are floating above the marinade. You don’t need to press them down. The eggs will absorb the marinade and sink later. If you submerge the eggs with a weight (a plate, for example), the part of the egg that touches the weight won’t get marinated properly.

If you like runny yolks, here is great news. The yolks will be slowly cured by the marinade and become creamier over time. Even if you undercook the eggs a bit, no need to worry. The yolks will thicken overnight and become very creamy and flavorful on day 3.