Ajitama

Ajitama is often classified among the top ramen toppings of all time! This scrumptious mix of umami and richness works as both a standalone snack and wholesome topping. It’s a constant pick among our list of tasty toppings whenever we make delicious immi ramen!

The best thing about ajitama is that not only is it great tasting and fulfilling but easy to make as well and has a unique backstory. We thought it best to break it down and explain what makes ajitama so good and how to prep it from scratch at home.

What is ajitama?

 Some versions of ajitama are made by leaving the boiled egg in a miso mixture instead of the usual Japanese soy sauce. This upgrades the umami kick to a whole another level and intensifies the natural earthy, floury flavor of ramen (or basically any dish you use it in). It never fails to delight and excite the taste buds!

History of the topping 

This silky, jammy and mildly flavorful topping has multiple possible origin stories.

One claim suggests that ajitama burst on to the mainstream as a valid ramen topping when a restaurant owner by the name of Kenji Chiba started using them to top his street-style ramen. According to a local Tokyo legend, he brought his wasoku chef skills to the local ramen game.

However, the concept of marinating a soft boiled egg in a soy sauce base started in China, like so many other Japanese cuisine items.  

The basic difference between the Chinese and Japanese marinated egg versions is that ajitama is marinated in Japanese soy sauce. This has a slightly sweeter, smokier, and fuller flavor whereas the Chinese one has a mainly salty flavor, both of which impart different flavor notes. 

What’s interesting here is that both versions started out as a standalone snack, before being added to ramen as a topping.  

Why ajitama pairs well with ramen

Ajitama is unique among ramen topping due to having several textures and flavors all packed into one. Where hard boiled eggs are slightly more uniform, soft boiled ones have a runny, creamy yolk and a somewhat firm exterior. This lets them melt in your mouth while stull providing a satisfying chew. 

The texture and flavor together may be what makes ajitama so good on ramen. However, both qualities have merits of their own as well. 

It depends what the ingredient ratios of your marinating liquid are but for the most part, ajitama has a delicious mix of tart, sweet, and savory flavors on the outside. That all combines to form this amazing umami that coats your mouth as soon as you start chewing. 

To achieve this result, it’s best to marinate the egg for at least 48 hours or more. 

As for the texture, it’s again different from the standard boiled egg. Using ingredients such as soy sauce sucks out some of the moisture from the outside surface of the egg white. This creates a slightly firmer outer layer that has a distinct snap as you bite into it. 

It also stays together much better, almost like a bite of meat. Hard boiled eggs would just break apart, on the other hand. That’s not to say we don’t love them as we’d gladly chop some up as the only topping on a delicious bowl of immi ramen! 

We’re just saying the delicate flavor, the delightful texture, and the lovely combination of both is why we prefer ajitama to it’s plain, hard boiled cousin!

Which ramen broth pairs best with ajitama, and what toppings pair well with it

Among the four primary ramen flavors, it would make sense that ajitama would go the best with shoyu ramen because of the soy sauce flavor base in both. However, we have found that ajitama goea great with all the aforementioned flavors albeit for different reasons. 

Let’s look into each flavor and see why ajitama works well with it.

Shoyu ramen has a deeply savory flavor due to the combination of minced ginger and soy sauce. It also has a little bit of sweet and tang from the mirin, both of which combine with the savory base to complement the already savory coating of the egg. 

There’s more to this pairing than just similar flavors, though.

Ajitama is naturally creamy from the runny and soft yolk. That cuts some of the sharpness of the shoyu ramen, which is actually what makes it a great pairing with all ramen flavors, especially shoyu. 

Plus there’s also the fact that ajitama brings a new texture layer to shoyu broth. 

Miso ramen is another great flavor for ajitama pairings. This is because of how miso is a different kind of saltiness. It’s more restrained and longer lasting than just plain salt and it doesn’t have the kick of soy sauce. 

Ajitsuke also goes super well with tonkotsu ramen because of how the milky consistency feels almost like a part of the egg itself. It’s also a protein-rich flavor so if you’re looking for a healthier option, this is the pairing for you. 

Lastly, shio ramen plays a great host to ajitama because of how naturally salt pairs with boiled egg. The simple salty broth is not complicated in flavor profile, just like the egg. Unless you prefer marinating eggs for longer than 48 hours, your ajitama will have an obvious but subtle overall flavor. 

In fact, we’d recommend adding 2-3 halves of ajitama in a bowl of shio ramen with either niku soboro or chashu as the other toppings. 

Speaking of other toppings that go well with ajitama, here are five of the best ones:

1. Chashu: This braised pork delicacy has the ideal level of flavor to not take over the ajitama. It’s mild, breaks easily when you bite it, and since it’s braised in a liquid similar to ajitsuke marinade, it doesn’t offset the flavor too much. 
2. Nori: This dried seaweed absorbs ramen broth and becomes a lot  more pliable as well as multi-layered in terms of flavor, just like the outer layer of the ajitama. If you prefer to marinate your boiled egg in soy sauce only, this will add a secondary flavor kick to the salty outer part of the egg white. 
3. Narutomaki: These adorable fish cakes have a mildly chewy texture that provides a nice contrast to ajitama which breaks apart quite easily. If you’re a fan of different textures in ramen, narutomaki can be your ideal topping for an interesting and exciting bowl of ramen. 
4. Benishoga: The powerful flavors of the delicious pickled ginger topping are sweet, tart, and salty, all of which go together well enough for it to earn legendary topping status! Make sure not to add too much though or you’ll overpower most other flavors in ramen.
5. Niku soboro: This ground meat topping can be either beef or pork that’s cooked till it’s crispy and firm. It’s flavored while cooking with soy sauce and sugar which provides it with a unique meaty umami that’s hard to find in other toppings. 

When we talk about which immi ramen flavor ajitama goes with, we are definitely spoilt for choice! This is because each separate flavor has something that complements the egg. 

For example, the Spicy ‘Beef’ flavored immi ramen has a natural meaty note that melds with the umami as soon as you chew. That initial meaty note somehow tastes like a delicious fatty aged steak when combined with the richness of the ajitama yolk. 

The Tom Yum ‘Shrimp’ flavored immi ramen is also a major hit with ajitama, even though it doesn’t sound like those two flavors would go well together. The seafood flavors have a unique way of separating into their umami and tangy components, both of which the ajitama takes on simultaneously. 

How long to marinate ajitama

The typical duration for the perfect egg marination is 24-36 hours, or at most 48. 

However, we have found that because it’s already fully cooked (yes, that runny yolk doesn’t mean it’s undercooked in any way), the egg can actually go on in the marinade for longer without falling apart. 

Just make sure you don’t marinade them for over a week, especially if you want them to retain a suitable amount of egg flavor and not become soaked to the yolk with the marinade juice. 

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