One Egg Salad Sandwich To Rule Them All: A Konbini Classic

One Egg Salad Sandwich to rule them all, one Egg Salad Sandwich to find them, one Egg Salad Sandwich to bring them all, and in a Japanese Konbini bind them

Listen, I fully understand this post is poorly timed due to the price of eggs right now but I made this the other day and I had to tell someone. 🥹 💕

“Eggs! Eggs! Eggs! Eggs! Eggs!” - me chanting while making this

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One of my favorite Japanese foods is a Tamago Sando (たまごサンド). It’s simple, it’s yummy, and it packs a bunch of flavor. “bUt I dOnT lIkE eGgs” some people will say, SHUT UP AND GET TF OFF MY SUBSTACK, THIS IS AN EGG SYMPATHIZER ACCOUNT!!!

Okay, back to the topic at hand, how do we make this incredible sandwich. Tamago Sandos are slightly different from a traditional American Egg Salad sandwich:

• Use Kewpie Mayo (Japanese Mayonnaise)- If you don’t live under a rock, I’m sure you’ve probably heard of Kewpie Mayo at some point. Well the rumors are true, it’s superior to any other Mayonnaise brand. Kewpie uses primarily egg yolks which makes it richer and better tasting.

• The egg whites to yolks ratio is different- Instead of using all of the egg whites and all of the egg yolks, we’re going to use 3/4 of the egg whites and all of the egg yolks. It’ll make the sandwich more flavorful and creamier.

• Add a dash of apple cider vinegar and some sugar- I have tried soooo many combinations to find the right flavor to mimic what you can find in Japan and this is the closest ingredients (that I’ve found) that will give you that hint of sweet vinegary flavor.

• Separate and season the egg whites and egg yolks first, then combine- Traditionally, in an American Egg Salad Sandwich you boil the eggs, chop them up and combine them with your seasonings/ other ingredients. In a Tamago Sando you season the yolks separately and then combine. Why do we do this? Does it fucking matter? It’s good trust me.

• Use Japanese Milk bread (Shokupan)- Similar to the Kewpie mayo point, don’t skip out on this step!!! Japanese Milk bread texture and taste really makes the sandwich what it is. It’s a similar taste to a brioche bun but with a fluffier texture and a thicker cut.

I’ve had Tamago Sandos in Japan two different styles. One way is at a Japanese Konbini (convenience store), the picture below is a Family Mart Sandwich. It’s just a classic egg salad sandwich, top tier.

Shoutout to Cousin Ken for the Pictures

The other way you can get it is at an upscale coffee shop or restaurant. It has a soft boiled egg in the center so when the sandwich is cut, the golden yolk creates the best mess possible.

This recipe below is how to make both styles (Konbini Classic or Unconventional Upscale)

INGREDIENT LIST (makes 2 decent sized sandwiches)

• 6 eggs (2 more eggs if you want to do the unconventional upscale soft boiled sando)

• Japanese Milk Bread (Shokupan)

• ¼ cup Kewpie Mayo

• ½ tsp Sugar

• ½ tsp Salt

• ¼ tsp Pepper

• Dash of Apple Cider Vinegar

• Dash of either Whole Milk or Heavy Cream

OKAY HERE’S WHAT TO DO

1. Hard boil 6 eggs (9 minutes) & soft boil 2 eggs (6-7 minutes)

   **soft boiled eggs are optional

   **tips for easy peel: bring water to a boil and put cold eggs straight from fridge into water, then after they’re done, crack them on the counter before putting them in the ice bath

2. Peel dee eeegggs

3. Put the 2 soft boiled eggs in the fridge, separate the whites from the yolks for the 6 remaining eggs

4. Coarsely chop the egg whites (use ¾ of the egg whites for this recipe, set aside remaining ¼ for something else of your choosing)

5. In a separate bowl mix the egg yolks, Kewpie mayo, sugar, salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar and milk (or cream)

   

6. Combine egg yolk mixture and the egg whites!

7. Taste it and adjust to your preference

8. Trim the crust off of the milk bread (pro tip: save the scraps for croutons)

9. Konbini Classic- Pile the flavorful egg mixture on 2 slices of milk bread, wrap tightly (wax paper, saran wrap, aluminum foil, etc) and refrigerate for an hour (should make 2 sandwiches)

   Unconventional Upscale- Place the soft boiled egg in the center of the milk bread and pile the delicious eggs-travagant mixture around the egg so it’s level. Wrap tightly (wax paper, saran wrap, aluminum foil, etc) and refrigerate for an hour (should make 2 sandwiches).

   

10. After refrigeration, slice diagonally and enjoy that so much, you deserve it!

    Okay love you byeeeee xoxo 💕✨

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