Japanese Conbini Egg Salad Sandwiches
To what do the Japanese attribute the popularity—and superiority—of their conbini tamago sando, or convenience store egg salad sandwich? The late Anthony Bourdain, and beloved food guru, once described it as a “pillow of love” and “inexplicably delicious,” a praise which surely solidified its worldwide cult status among foodies.
Like our American version, Japan’s egg salad sandwich is homey, easy to make and inexpensive. Perhaps the main difference with Japan’s is its choice of ingredients. An authentic tamago sando starts with a Japanese milk bread or choujuku. This is a soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet white bread popular throughout Asia. Milk bread requires a special technique called tangzhong which involves cooking a portion of the flour and milk into a roux before adding it to the remaining dough. This helps produce bread with a soft, airy crumb. (If milk bread is unavailable to make this recipe, potato bread is a good substitute.)
Kewpie, Japan’s top selling brand of mayonnaise, is another signature ingredient. This high-quality mayonnaise, famous for its rich flavor and deep umami taste, is made solely from egg yolks blended with vegetable oil, rice vinegar and salt.
To complete Japan’s iconic egg salad sandwich, you must use double the amount of yolks to egg whites. Another secret to creating its silky texture is the addition of heavy cream. As if that were not enough to gild the lily, you butter your bread too!
This recipe attempts to recreate 7-Eleven’s tamago sando which many tourists consider the benchmark of excellence for this humble convenience store staple. Eat your heart out, Lawson and Family Market!
Ingredients:
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup Kewpie mayonnaise (If unavailable, add 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar to a good quality mayonnaise)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
2 teaspoons heavy cream (or milk)
1 tablespoon sweet butter, softened
4 slices soft white bread, preferably Japanese milk bread
Cooking instructions:
1. Place eggs in a pot with one inch of cool water. Over a medium heat, bring water just to a boil. Immediately remove the pot from the heat and cover with a tight lid. Set aside for 11 minutes.
2. Carefully remove boiled eggs using a slotted spoon and transfer them to a bowl of ice and water to stop eggs from cooking any further. Let stand for 15 minutes until cool. Drain well, then peel the eggs. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
3. To prepare the dressing, stir together mayonnaise, salt, sugar, pepper, and heavy cream. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
4. Separate the yolks from the cooked egg whites. Place yolks in a medium size bowl and mash with the back of a fork. Do not over mash as you want some larger pieces to remain. Then, finely chop egg whites and place in a separate bowl. (You will only use half of the eggs whites. Save the rest for another use.)
5. Add the eggs whites to the bowl of yolk and mix together. Gently combine with half of the mayonnaise dressing adding more as needed. (Too much mayonnaise makes for a soggy sandwich!)
6. Spread butter evenly on two slices of bread. Divide egg salad evenly onto buttered bread, then top with remaining two slices. Trim off crusts and discard. Cut sandwich diagonally and serve.
Makes: 2 sandwiches
Wine recommendations: Normally, tamago sando are served with non-alcoholic beverages. But, if you’re serving these at a luncheon and would like to offer guests a glass of wine, then white wines such as Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, or Riesling would be lovely. An ice-cold Japanese beer is another excellent choice of beverage.