Korean Mayak Gyeran, Soy-Marinated “Addictive” Eggs

📍 Where this dish comes from: Seoul · Gwangjang Market
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Mayak gyeran are soft-boiled eggs soaked overnight in a garlicky soy marinade with chilies and scallions. The yolks turn jammy and deeply savory, and the name, "addictive eggs," is a fair warning. They are one of the easiest make-ahead keto snacks you can keep in the fridge.

Per serving: 179 calories · 2.9 g net carbs · 15 g protein · 11 g fat (calculated from the ingredients)

What You’ll Need

Korean Mayak Gyeran, Soy-Marinated "Addictive" Eggs

Mayak gyeran are soft-boiled eggs soaked overnight in a garlicky soy marinade with chilies and scallions. The yolks turn jammy and deeply savory, and the name, "addictive eggs," is a fair warning. They are one of the easiest make-ahead keto snacks you can keep in the fridge.

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Prep Time: 6 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes minutes

Total Time: 6 hours hours 17 minutes minutes

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Korean

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 179kcal

Ingredients

• 12 large eggs
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup allulose
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 3 scallions finely chopped
• 1 green chili finely chopped
• 1 red chili finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

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Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Gently lower in the eggs straight from the fridge and boil for exactly 6 minutes 30 seconds for jammy yolks.
• Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water and let them cool for 10 minutes. Peel carefully.
• In a container just large enough to hold the eggs, stir together the soy sauce, water and allulose until dissolved. Add the garlic, scallions, chilies, sesame seeds and sesame oil.
• Add the peeled eggs, making sure they are covered by the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight, turning once.
• Serve the eggs halved with a spoonful of the marinade and toppings over each.

Notes

Most of the soy marinade stays in the container, so the nutrition figures here overstate the sodium and carbs you actually eat. The eggs keep in the marinade for up to 4 days; after that they grow very salty.

Chef's Tip: Older eggs peel more easily. Tap the wide end first, where the air pocket sits, and peel under a trickle of water.

Keto Swap: Traditional recipes use sugar or corn syrup in the marinade. Allulose dissolves the same way and keeps these eggs nearly carb-free.

Success Tip: Use the leftover marinade to season cauliflower rice or stir-fried vegetables. For children, leave out the chilies.

Nutrition is calculated from the ingredients and is an estimate per serving. Net carbs exclude fiber and allulose.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 179kcal | Protein: 15g | Fat: 11g | Fiber: 0.7g

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About This Dish

Mayak means "narcotic" in Korean, and it is used jokingly for foods so good people cannot stop eating them. The name is also used for mayak gimbap at Gwangjang Market. Marinated eggs have a long history in Korea as jangjorim, a soy-braised side dish of beef and eggs. Mayak gyeran became a viral home-cooking trend in recent years through Korean cooking videos and social media. Served over rice with a little marinade, it is a favorite quick meal for students living on their own.

This recipe is from The Ultimate Korean Keto Cookbook by Gisele Costello, Chapter 2: Snacks & Banchan (Gwangjang Market). See all Korean recipes