Tamago sando, or Japanese egg sandwich, is packed with a creamy, rich egg salad seasoned with Kewpie mayo, some dijon mustard, and a little togarashi for a mild kick. This egg sandwich is great for a quick and easy, grab-and-go meal. It's also great for picnics as well.
A turkey or ham sandwich is probably the most commonly seen convenient store food here in the US. In Japan, it's tamago sando (Japanese egg sandwich).
Japanese egg sandwich is rich, savory, and full of egg yolk flavors. The egg egg salad is sandwiched between two pieces of milk bread, which are super fluffy, soft, and pillowy. Also, since Japanese egg sandwich is made with Kewpie mayo, the egg salad filling is creamy and moist.
If you're an egg lover like us, you'll also love these easy egg recipes as well: Korean volcano steamed egg, mayak eggs (Korean marinated eggs), tomato egg stir fry, and egg drop soup.
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What is tamago sando?
Tomago sando, also known as Japanese egg sandwich, is a creamy, rich egg salad sandwich stuffed between two slices of soft and fluffy milk bread (aka shokupan). The sandwich is full of egg yolk flavors fortified with creamy, savory Kewpie mayo and a little dijon mustard to help balance the richness. You can find this popular grab-and-go snack and quick meal available at every convenience store in Japan. In the US, you can sometimes find it at Asian cafes and Japanese grocery stores.
Ingredients
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
- Milk bread - Shokupan, or milk bread is super fluffy, soft, and pillowy. It's the most preferred bread for this rich egg sandwich. You can make your own homemade milk bread or purchase it at most Asian bakeries. If you can't find it, you can use regular white bread or the bread of your choice. Do note, the texture and flavor will be a little different.
- Egg - Since eggs are the main ingredient of this sandwich, we recommend using good quality eggs if possible. You'll get better, prettier yolks too.
- Kewpie mayo - We highly recommend this mayonnaise. Unlike our standard mayo, Kewpie mayo is so much more flavorful because it uses egg yolks instead of whole eggs. You'll also notice that it's a bit yellower in color.
- Dijon mustard - Egg salads and egg sandwiches can all benefit from a little dijon mustard to help cut the richness and give it an extra bit of tang.
- Togarashi - We highly recommend adding some Shichimi togarashi to the egg salad mix because it adds that extra bit of kick, saltiness, and nuttiness to the egg sandwich, which just makes the flavor so much better.
How to make tamago sando
1. In a saucepan, gently add the eggs and enough water to completely cover the eggs. Bring the water to a boil and prepare an ice bath in a bowl.
🌟 Pro tip: Adding some vinegar to the water helps to make the egg shells easier to peel. Add about 2 to 3 tablespoons of vinegar to per 5 cups of water.
2. Once the water comes to a boil, lower the heat to a gentle boil and set a timer for 8 minutes. When the 8 minutes are up, remove one of the eggs and immediately place it into an ice bath. Let the remaining eggs cook for another 4 minutes and place them into the ice bath as well. Let them cool for about 3 to 5 minutes, then crack and peel all of the eggs.
🌟 Pro tip: We recommend that you mark the first egg so that you can identify which one is the medium boiled egg.
3. For the 8 minute egg, cut it in half, lengthwise and set it aside. For the 12 minute hard boiled eggs, cut the eggs into half and remove the yolks from the whites. Place the egg yolks in a bowl and mash it with a fork. Then, roughly chop the egg whites and add them to the mashed egg yolks. Add the Kewpie mayo, dijon mustard, and togarashi to the bowl and mix well.
4. On a slice of milk bread, evenly spread a quarter of the egg salad mixture. Then, place one half of the 8 minute medium boiled egg, yolk side down, in the middle. Top it with another quarter of the egg salad mixture and spread it as evenly as possible. Place another slice of milk bread on top and press gently. Repeat with the other sandwich.
5. Optionally, you can wrap the sandwich in parchment and/or keep the sandwich in the fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy the tamago sando as is or cut it in half and sprinkle with a little more togarashi. Enjoy!
Recipe tips
- Add some vinegar to the water to make the eggs easier to peel. Add about 2 to 3 tablespoons per 5 cups of water.
- The egg in the middle is optional. So if you prefer, skip the medium boiled egg and make just the egg salad for the filling.
- The egg in the middle can half of a soft, medium or hard boiled egg. So feel free to cook it to your preference. 6 minutes for a jammy center, soft boiled egg. 8 minutes for medium, just set yolks. 12 minutes for a hard boiled egg.
Storage
Once the egg sandwich has been assembled, it is best to enjoy it shortly after making it or within 1 to 2 days. If you are not eating the tamago sando soon after making, wrap it well and/or keep it in an airtight container so that the milk bread doesn't dry out. Keep it refrigerated until ready to enjoy.
FAQ
For the egg salad, the eggs should be hard-boiled, about 12 minutes once the water starts boiling. For the optional egg in the middle, we recommend 8 minutes for a medium boiled egg. But it's up to your personal preference.
The egg in the middle of the tamago sando is optional. You can make the sandwich with just the egg salad mix.
We highly recommend using milk bread (aka shokupan) for Japanese egg sandwiches because it is super fluffy, soft, and pillowy. But if you can't find milk bread, you could use regular white bread, but the flavor and texture won't be as good.
Yes! These egg sandwiches are great for breakfast, snacks, and picnics. You can make the sandwich the day before, but it is best to enjoy the tamago sandwiches within 2 days of making.
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📖 Recipe
Tamago Sando (Japanese Egg Sandwich)
Ingredients
- 4 slices milk bread (aka shokupan)
- 5 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons Kewpie mayo
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon Shichimi togarashi (plus more for garnish on top)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar (optional)
Instructions
Prepare the eggs:
- Place the eggs in a saucepan and fill it with enough water to cover the eggs completely. Add a tablespoon of white vinegar and bring the water to a boil.*You can use an extra tablespoon of vinegar if you want. The vinegar is to make the eggs easier to peel.*
- Once the water comes to a boil, lower the heat to a gentle boil and set a timer for 8 minutes. Please refer to the notes below for more cook time options.
- While the eggs are boiling, prepare an ice bath for the eggs. When the 8 minute timer is up, remove one egg from the water and place it into the prepared ice bath. Keep boiling the other eggs for 4 more minutes. Then, remove them from the water and place them into the ice bath.*We recommend that you mark the first egg so that you can identify which one is the medium boiled egg.*
- Crack and peel the all of the eggs. For the 8 minute egg, cut it in half, lengthwise and set it aside.
- For the 12 minute hard boiled eggs, cut the eggs in half and remove the yolks from the whites. Place the egg yolks in a bowl and mash it with a fork. Then, roughly chop the egg whites and add them to the mashed egg yolks. Add the Kewpie mayo, dijon mustard, and togarashi to the bowl and mix well.
Make the egg sandwiches:
- On a slice of milk bread, evenly spread a quarter of the egg salad mixture. Then, place one half of the 8 minute egg, yolk side down, in the middle. Top it with another quarter of the egg salad mixture and spread it as evenly as possible. Place another slice of milk bread on top and press gently. Repeat with the other sandwich.
- Optionally, you can wrap the sandwich in parchment and/or keep the sandwich in the fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy the tamago sando as is or cut it in half and sprinkle with a little more togarashi. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cooked time for the extra boiled egg- After the water starts boiling, start the timer for your eggs. 6 minutes for jammy, soft-boiled eggs. 8 minutes for medium-boiled egg, where the egg yolks are just set. 12 minutes for hard-boiled eggs.
- If you don't care for the sandwich crust, you can trim it off before assembling.
- If you prefer, you can omit the extra egg and only make the egg salad mix for the sandwich.
- If you're refrigerating the egg sandwich, make sure it is well wrapped or stored in an airtight container so that the milk bread doesn't dry out.
Baker98 says
This recipe was super good!! I didn't have Dijon mustard or togarashi so I added tumeric, chili powder, and smoked paprika instead. Thanks a lot for the recipe. Love your tiktoks
Mei says
Hi there!
Thank you so much for trying out our recipe and your kind words! So glad you liked the sandwich and love that you added your own substitutions to make the recipe work for you!
Mei ❤️
Foodie says
What if we want to make a freezer meal? Can we store them or any of your recipe in freezer for say more than a week?
Mei says
Hi there! For this specific recipe, we have not tried freezing the sandwich, so I'm not sure if the texture or flavor will be affected. However, the milk bread does freeze well, so you can slice them ahead of time, freeze, and use them as you need. For other recipes, some are freezer friendly. Under our "storage" topic, we share the storing and reheating instructions. Do note that some recipes can be frozen for later, but the quality will of course not be as good as when freshly made. Hope this answered your question!
Mei ❤️