Snack Attack - Onsen Eggs from Family Mart

Obviously from all my trips to Family Mart to get their potato chips, these onsen eggs happen to catch my eye one day.  So, I got some.....and I've been hooked on them ever since.

The packaging is rather cute too...and a tiny packet of sauce is also included.

The egg can be kept chilled in the fridge (it has a fairly long shelf life) waiting to be cracked into a bowl when my itchy mouth wants to eat a little snack (might as well reach out for something healthy and convenient).

Pour the ready-given tiny packet of bonito sauce over it...and just slurp it whole into your mouth since this is, after all, a Japanese-style egg (and not soft-boiled eggs where we need to dunk our toasted bread into...lol).  It's so unbelievably good!  It's cold, it's silky smooth...and the yolk is rich and creamy.

I've cracked one just to show you how perfectly oozy the yolk is.  Why the need for sweat and tears to try to make it successfully at home (like invest in a sous vide machine or, worst still, trying to get the temperature and timing right by cooking it over a stove top) when I can just pay RM2.50 for perfection! ^o^

 

And the bonito sauce made all the difference.  That was the deal-breaker for me.  The accompanying bonito sauce just elevated the taste of this humble onsen egg.   It had this fragrant, umami flavour that's both (lightly) salty and sweet (like a good dashi broth with soy) and you also get that lovely sweetness coming through.  It's totally different from soft-boiled eggs with Chinese soy.

Before this, I would make soy-marinated ramen eggs (or ajitsuke tamago) for its custardy egg yolk and umami soy flavours (aiks, must be the lighting making my eggs look so pale)....and keep them in the fridge for when I've a snack attack.

There was a time when I made these four and one turned out to be the ugly duckling...lol.  I've no explanation why one just won't peel nicely as they were from the same batch of eggs (so freshness would have been the same).  But since I've come to know about these onsen eggs from Family Mart, there's no need less of a need to make ramen eggs these days.

Imagine topping up your self-made (or bought) Japanese rice bowl or poke bowl (sometimes even a Chinese rice bowl) at home with one of these creamy babies.  I do that all the time now....whenever I feel I need that extra jolt of velvety richness.

They're absolutely, totally, completely, utterly, incredibly delicious...and so convenient as an add-on too!  Ok, I think you've got the message already...lol! ^_~