Butter? Yes, I know, it does sounds strage, right? Where does butter fit into an egg salad sandwich? Well, you see, in the Japanese variant, the bread is buttered before the egg filling is piled on. So, yes, butter is part of the equation.

The butter goes on slices of milk bread. My daughter makes it at home but you can buy it in better groceries. But if you still can’t find it, it’s quite okay to use regular loaf bread. Just don’t skip the butter.

Japanese mayo… Why not regular mayo? The taste is different. Regular mayo is made with whole eggs and white vinegar; Japanese mayo is made with egg yolks and rice vinegar which is lighter and subtly sweet. So, believe me, the difference in taste, and even in texture, is not a figment of the imagination of hardcore Japanese food lovers.

Is there a secret to the eggs here? They don’t need to have been laid by a Japanese hen. Just any fresh chicken eggs will do.

Know, however, that how you mash the hald-boiled eggs determines the final texture of the egg filling. Mash them coarsely with the back of the fork and you get a chunky egg filling. But if you chope them then press them through a wire strainer, you’ll get a smoother and creamier egg filling. Personally, I like my filling chunky.

Japanese egg sandwich

Egg sandwich is everywhere in Japan. It is a mainstay in convenience stores, and we tried the Family Mart, 7-Eleven and Lawson versions. Hands down, Lawson's egg sandwich wins.

Mashed hard-boiled eggs, Japanese mayo, salt and pepper. Those are the only ingredients for making the filling.

Prep: 5

Cook: 12

Cooling time 5

Servings: 3 people

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: Japanese

Label: Egg, Sandwich

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Ingredients

For the filling

3 extra large eggs
3 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise
salt to taste
pepper to taste

For the sandwiches

6 slices milk bread
salted butter

Instructions

Make the filling

Place the eggs in a sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 12 minutes.
Strain the eggs and dump into a bowl of iced water. Leave to cool for five minutes.
Shell the eggs and mash with the back of a fork. How chunky or smooth is up to you.
Stir the mayonnaise into the eggs.
Season with a few pinches of salt and pepper, stir and taste. Add more, as needed.

Assemble the sandwiches

Spread butter on one side of all slices of bread.
Divide the egg filling into three portions and spread on portion on a buttered slice of bread.
Cover the egg filling with the remaining bread, buttered side touching the egg filling.
Press down the sandwiches lightly to remove air pockets.
Optionally, cut off and discard the edges of the bread, and cut the sandwiches into smaller pieces, before serving.

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