Chinese Soy sauce egg (卤鸡蛋) is one of the most popular street foods, along with famous Chinese tea eggs. And they are commonly served with noodles, breakfast, or steamed rice, similar to Chinese tea eggs or marbled eggs.
But the two versions differ: tea eggs are soaked with the shells, while soy sauce eggs are boiled first and then soaked in a simplified master stock. Traditionally, Chinese soy sauce eggs are soaked in a soy sauce-based stock. However, we have a new trend recently- a fresh and spicy soy sauce stock. I will introduce both ways in this recipe.
The cooking method of flavoring ingredients, including root vegetables, meat, and eggs with soy sauce and spices, is named “卤”. The marinating sauce is called “卤水”. Expect everyday items such as eggs, chicken feet, chicken wings, duck feet, lotus roots, and pork large intestine to be extremely popular in China. It is a Chinese custom to keep the marinating sauce; the older it is, the better it tastes. But now, for healthy consideration, we use a one-time soy sauce marinating sauce.
Traditional Soy Sauce Stock with Five Spice Flavor
Add soy sauce, water, sugar, vinegar, and Chinese five-spice powder to a small pot and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely, as the eggs should be soaked in the cold marinating sauce. If you are making soft-boiled soy sauce eggs, the stock may overheat the eggs.
Fresh Spicy Soy Sauce Stock
We will add lots of spices and aromatics to this stock to create a unique hot, spicy, fresh and savory soaking stock.
Cook the eggs
Half-fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add a small pinch of salt.
Lower the eggs into boiling water carefully using a ladle, then immediately reduce the heat. Simmer for 6 minutes (for a softer texture) or 7 minutes (for a more complex texture). Stir the eggs in the first two minutes.
Transfer the eggs to cold water and gently peel the shells once they have cooled. (If you feel it is pretty hard to handle, place the eggs under small running water and peel the shells.)
Add soft-boiled eggs to the marinating sauce, soaking for overnight (12-20 hours until well salted. Transfer them out when the eggs are well salted.
I use smaller eggs (around 45g each), and boil them for about 6 to 7 minutes to test the yolk texture.
- 10 eggs You can use one stock. I divide them into two versions.
- water as needed
- a small pinch of salt
Soy Sauce Marinating sauce – Option 1
- 1 tbsp Chinese five spice powder
- 1 cups water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup soy sauce if you are uisng light soy sauce, mix it with 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
Fresh Chili Marinating Sauce – Option 2
- 1 cup soy sauce if you are using light soy sauce, mix it with 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 4 Thai peppers , cut into circles
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 1/4 cup scallion
- 1/4 cup corinader
Soy Sauce Five Flavor Stcok
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In a small pot, add water, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and Chinese five spice powder. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Fresh Chili Stock
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Mix everything in a container, including soy sauce, aromatics, salt, and sugar. Stir to combine.
Cook the Eggs
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Half-fill a large pot with water and bring it to boil. Add a small pinch of salt.
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Lower the eggs into boiling water carefully using a ladle and slow down the fire immediately. Simmer for 6 minutes (for softer texture) or 7 minutes (for harder texture). Stir the eggs in first two minutes.
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Transfer the eggs out to cold water and gently peel the shells after cooled down. (If you feel it is quite hard to handle, place the eggs under small running water and peel the shells.)
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Add soft boiled eggs in the marinating stock, either option 1 or option 2, soaking for overnight (12-20 hours until well salted). Transfer them out when the eggs are well salted.
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Cut lengthwise and serve with rice or noodles.
- The Nutrition Facts are based on every single egg.
- The recipe was first published in 2016 and updated with a new version and video in 2025.
Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 232mg | Sodium: 1134mg | Potassium: 141mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 340IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1.9mg
