Tamago Sando Recipe: How to Make a Japanese Egg Sandwich

Tamago sando is a Japanese egg salad sandwich—tamago translates to “egg” and sando means “sandwich.” Tamago sando puts a uniquely Japanese twist on the classic Western-style egg salad sandwich with Japanese mayonnaise, Japanese milk bread, and sometimes scallions, rice vinegar, or even a whole soft-boiled egg. In Japan, tamago sando is commonly sold at konbini (convenience stores) and served at brunch.

Egg salad recipes vary, but the Japanese version has four main ingredients.

1. 1. Hard-boiled eggs: For perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs, follow a process similar to making deviled eggs. Transfer the eggs to an ice bath to stop carryover cooking and to make the eggs easier to peel. When it comes to choosing eggs, free-range eggs tend to have deeper-colored yolks due to the chickens' more varied diet, but fresh-laid eggs are harder to peel. Choose eggs that are at least a week or two old.
2. 2. Sandwich bread: A tamago sando should be made with soft white bread, preferably shokupan (Japanese milk bread), but any pullman loaf will work. You can even try brioche or challah.
3. 3. Mayonnaise: Japanese mayo is not like the American condiment— it's made with egg yolks only, which gives it a thicker texture, richer flavor, and deeper color. Japanese mayo is also sweeter and more vinegary than its American counterpart. It is available at Asian grocery stores, but if you can't find it, use American-style mayonnaise with the addition of sugar, rice wine vinegar, and MSG for a hit of umami.
4. 4. Butter: Lightly buttering the slices of shokupan not only adds flavor and richness but prevents the bread from getting soggy.