Mechurial-jangjorim (Soy-Braised Quail Eggs)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small pot for boiling eggs
• •Shallow 2-quart saucepan
• •Slotted spoon
• •Small knife for pricking peppers

Instructions

1. 1

   Boil the eggs

   Put the quail eggs in a small pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Add the vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then simmer 4 minutes. Vinegar helps tighten any tiny cracks, and salt makes the shells a little easier to peel. Drain and move the eggs into cold water.

2. 2

   Peel cleanly

   Tap each egg all over, roll it gently under your palm, and start peeling from the wide end where the air pocket sits. Keep the eggs in water as you work so the membrane loosens. Do this patiently. Torn eggs still taste fine, but clean eggs braise evenly and look cared for.

   Already-peeled quail eggs from the market are a safe corner to cut. Rinse them well and simmer them 2 minutes in plain water before braising to remove the packaged taste.
3. 3

   Start the braise

   In a shallow pot, combine 2 cups water, soy sauce, rice syrup, sugar, mirin, garlic, and kelp. Bring it just to a simmer, then pull out the kelp after 5 minutes. Kelp gives body, but left too long it makes the sauce heavy and a little bitter.

4. 4

   Color the eggs

   Add the peeled quail eggs and simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, turning them now and then with a spoon. The liquid should reduce by about one-third and the eggs should turn evenly tan-brown. Do not boil hard. A hard boil makes the whites rubbery before the sauce has time to settle in.

5. 5

   Add the peppers

   Prick each kkwari-gochu or shishito once with the tip of a knife, then add them to the pot. Simmer 4 to 5 minutes, only until the peppers wrinkle and turn glossy green-brown. They go in late because their job is to scent the soy and give a clean bitter edge, not collapse into paste.

6. 6

   Cool in sauce

   Turn off the heat and let the eggs cool in the braising liquid for at least 20 minutes. Taste the sauce now. It should be salty-sweet but not syrupy, gentle enough that a child can eat the egg with rice. Sprinkle sesame seeds only if you like them. Store the eggs and peppers in the liquid so the flavor deepens without drying out.

Chef Tips

• •If your soy sauce is very dark or salty, use 6 tablespoons instead of 1/2 cup the first time. The sauce can always reduce more, but an over-salted quail egg has nowhere to hide.
• •Kkwari-gochu is best in warm months when the peppers are thin-skinned and wrinkled. In winter, use shishito peppers or leave them out and add 2 more garlic cloves; cook the month you're standing in.
• •For children, skip the peppers and add a 2-inch piece of peeled Korean radish to the braise. It softens the soy and gives you another small bite for the lunchbox.
• •Do not reduce the sauce until thick like glaze. Jangjorim should sit in a spoonable soy broth so it keeps well and seasons rice lightly.

Advance Preparation

• •This dish is better after 6 hours in the refrigerator and keeps well for 5 days in a covered container, with the eggs submerged in the braising liquid.
• •For meal prep, boil and peel the quail eggs up to 2 days ahead. Keep them covered in cold water in the refrigerator, then drain before braising.
• •Serve cold, room temperature, or gently warmed. Do not microwave the eggs whole, because they can burst; warm them in a small pot with a few spoonfuls of their sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 120g)