Name: Japanese Egg Salad Sandwich (Tamago Sando)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: 4 large eggs; 0.5 cup mayonnaise; 0.25 teaspoon kosher salt; 0.75 teaspoon white sugar; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 3 dashes hot sauce, or to taste; 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice; 2 teaspoons rice vinegar; 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste; 0.25 teaspoon white sugar; 1 pinch cayenne pepper; 1 tablespoon heavy cream; 4 slices soft white bread; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Prep Time:

10 mins

Cook Time:

15 mins

Additional Time:

1 hrs

Total Time:

1 hrs 25 mins

Servings:

2

Yield:

2 sandwiches

Jump to Nutrition Facts

I've always gone out of my way to avoid egg salad, and had no plans to change that behavior this late in life, but after seeing people go nuts over this sandwich on social media, I decided to give it a go.

Surprisingly, I didn't hate it. In fact, I kind of liked it, and have identified the two main reasons why. It comes served on soft, buttery, slightly sweet Japanese milk bread, which is the perfect delivery system. Plus, the salad is bound together with a super savory mayonnaise that, as my old buddy Guy Fieri might say, would taste great on a flip flop. The most popular brand of this mayo is called Kewpie, which is pretty easy to find. But just in case, I show a fairly close version using commonly found pantry ingredients.

Mine doesn't include MSG, which is one reason people line up for the stuff, but it's still very savory. Between that and the homemade milk bread, I almost forgot I was eating egg salad. So, whether you love egg salad and have always wanted to try this, or you're not a huge fan (but willing to taste the world's most famous version), I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Japanese Egg Salad Sandwich (Tamago Sando). Chef John

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Ingredients

4 large eggs

For the Kewpie-Style Mayonnaise:

½ cup mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 dashes hot sauce, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons rice vinegar

For the Sando:

½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon white sugar
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon heavy cream
4 slices soft white bread
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Directions

Place eggs in the bottom of a saucepan. Add 1/4 inch of water. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cover and steam for 11 minutes. Turn off the heat and drain water carefully; pour cold water over and let cool.
Mix mayonnaise, salt, sugar, mustard, hot sauce, lemon juice, and vinegar for Kewpie-style mayonnaise together. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
Peel eggs. Mash in a shallow bowl with the side and back of a fork until desired texture is reached. Add salt, sugar, cayenne, heavy cream, and 3 tablespoons Kewpie-style mayonnaise. Stir to combine. Wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 1 hour. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Butter bread slices and use 1/2 of the egg salad on each sandwich. Cut crusts off before serving if you're fancy.

Chef's Notes:

I used Dijon mustard for the Kewpie-style mayonnaise, but regular yellow will work. Also, if you have any MSG laying around, or Hondashi(R) (which is a powdered dashi base), you could add some of that for some extra savory-ness, but this version is very savory as-is.

You can use milk instead of cream to make the egg salad.

Here's the recipe for my Milk Bread, which is perfect for this sandwich.

Editor's Note:

Nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of Kewpie-style mayonnaise. You will have enough left to make another batch (2 more sandwiches).

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

759	Calories
64g	Fat
31g	Carbs
17g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 2
Calories 759
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 64g	82%
Saturated Fat 15g	77%
Cholesterol 418mg	139%
Sodium 1729mg	75%
Total Carbohydrate 31g	11%
Dietary Fiber 1g	4%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 17g
Vitamin C 3mg	13%
Calcium 139mg	11%
Iron 4mg	21%
Potassium 205mg	4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.