Japanese Soft Boiled Eggs

I have made these eggs many times.  They are known as the perfect boiled eggs for Japanese ramen.  It seems hard to get the desired texture but as long as you get the right cooking time, you will have these beautiful and delicious eggs on your plate.

Ingredients for marinate:

1 cup water
1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin
1 or 2 tbsp sugar

Note:  If you have the sauce from the chashu, the taste is delicious.   For recipe of making the chashu, please click here.

Directions:

1. Cook the marinate ahead of time and let it cool.  You can store this in a jar and put it in the refrigerator.
2. Wash eggs, take a thumb tack and pierce a tiny hole in the round end of each egg (I used an oven thermometer). This prevents the egg from cracking. (pictures 1 and 2)
3. Bring a 2 quart of water to a boil and carefully lower eggs into the boiling water with a stainless steel wire mesh ladle (picture 3) and set the timer to 6 minutes (picture 4).
4. While the eggs are being boiled, fill a bowl with cold water and add ice cubes.
5. Once 6 minutes is up, take out the eggs and run under cold water.  Place eggs into iced water for at least 5 minutes.  (picture 5)
6. Crack the eggs and peel of the shell.  Put eggs into bowl with marinade and refrigerate at least four hours, it is better if you use spoons to weight down the eggs to keep entire eggs submerged under, otherwise turn eggs once or twice.