Korean Sauna Eggs. Soft, nutty, flavoursome and almost ZERO CARBS.
Have you been watching Korean dramas? If so, you’ll have seen the brown eggs typically featured in Korean sauna/spa (찜질방 – Jjimjilbang).
But if they’re new to you, you’re not alone. I only discovered them during a recent trip to South Korea.
Silly me initially thought I’d cracked open a spoiled egg, but I quickly discounted that concern, as the egg smelled fine. Then I wondered if maybe it was to do with some breed of hens, or a particular diet, resulting in these funky coloured eggs.
Turns out that cooking eggs with steam (hence the name) for a long time, changes the colour, texture and flavour (Maillard reaction).
What are Korean Sauna Eggs Like?
They’re less ‘eggy’ (in my opinion), and taste kind of roasted and somewhat nutty. The white becomes brown, shiny, and firm. The yolk is creamy soft rather than dry and chalky. I think the flavour is reminiscent of roasted chestnuts.
The Best Way to Cook Korean Sauna Eggs
If you Google ‘Korean Sauna Eggs’, you’ll find a variety of cooking methods. I don’t have a traditional steamer, but I do have a Ninja Foodi Multi Cooker, so that’s what my ‘recipe’ calls for. No Ninja? No problem. Any pressure cooker will be fine. I have read somewhere that you can use the oven on low temperature (150°C would probably be good) for 5-6 hours and obtain the same result, but I have not tested this method (plus with no steam they wouldn’t be ‘sauna’ anymore…).
Aside a pressure cooker and some kind of rack or trivet to suspend your eggs on, you only need eggs and water. That’s it! Every Koran Sauna Eggs recipe I’ve come across instructs you to add salt to the water, but after testing with and without, I could not detect any difference in flavour or texture. I was also unable to prove the theory that salt prevents the shells from cracking. Again, I found that some shells cracked with and without the salt addition. My conclusion, therefore, is that salt isn’t necessary.
Time-wise, 2 hours will suffice to allow the Maillard reaction to take place. However, I’ve tested the cooking times with 1 hour differences and decided that 3-3.5 hours is optimal for nuttiness and texture. I don’t recommend a longer cooking time because the flavour doesn’t improve and the eggs become rubbery.
Korean Sauna Eggs are absolutely delicious on their own and make the perfect keto or carnivore snack. You can also use them like regular hard-boiled eggs in egg salad, or in a sandwich made with Carnivore Bread or Burger Buns, for example.
Try one warm, one cooled to room temperature, and one chilled, to see which you prefer.
Enjoy!
Korean Sauna Eggs
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 500 ml water
Instructions
- pour water into Ninja Multi Cooker inner pot.500 ml water
- wash eggs and place them over a rack or egg trivet in the Ninja pot.6 eggs
- move the slider to Pressure Cooker, swivel the pressure release valve to ‘close’, select Quick Release and then 3.5 hours timer.
- the machine will heat up first then the time countdown will begin.
- once the Ninja lets you open the lid, remove the eggs and place them under cold running water for a couple of minutes.
- peal and eat immediately, or save for later.
Notes
Nutrition
QueenKETO is a participant in Amazon’s affiliate advertising program. Clicking on a product or ad will re-direct you to the Amazon site. For your purchases, I may receive a small fee, which helps buffer the cost of maintaining and improving this site, at no extra cost to you.
These eggs are wonderfully nutty, with a firmer albumen and a creamy yolk.