Tamago means “egg” in Japanese.

Quick info

  • Servings: 1 sandwich
  • Prep: 15 minutes
  • Cooking: 12 minutes
  • Resting: 5 minutes
  • Tools: small saucepan, bowl, fork, sharp knife

Ingredients

  • 2 slices of shokupan bread (Japanese milk bread; alternatively, soft white sandwich bread — the taller and fluffier the better)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 8 g (0.3 oz) salted butter, at room temperature (about 1 scant teaspoon per slice; if you don’t have salted butter, use regular butter with 1 scant pinch of salt, just what you can pick up with your fingertips)
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 pinch of black or white pepper
  • 1 pinch of sugar (trust me!)
  • 1 teaspoon of milk
  • 1 ½ tablespoons of Kewpie mayo (I use Lidl’s vegan mayo)

Method

  1. Put 2 eggs in a small saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Once it boils, lower the heat and cook for 12 minutes.
  2. Drain the eggs right away and transfer them to cold water (ice water is even better) until they’re fully cooled. Peel them.
  3. Mash them with a fork — but don’t go full purée: you want visible chunks.
  4. Add 1 pinch of salt, 1 pinch of pepper and 1 pinch of sugar (trust me!). Stir.
  5. Add 1 teaspoon of milk and 1 ½ tablespoons of mayo. Mix until glossy and creamy.
  6. Spread 1 scant teaspoon of salted butter, in a wafer-thin layer, on one side of each slice of bread. If you’re using regular butter, mix it with the pinch of salt first. This seals the bread so it doesn’t go soggy.
  7. Spread the filling evenly over one slice, going almost all the way to the edges. Top with the second slice.
  8. Sandwich it between two plates and press down gently for 5 minutes to compact it.
  9. Trim the crusts with a sharp knife and cut in half. Serve with a little salad on the side!