"I Bought a Rice Cooker Just for This"... The K-banchan Taking Over US Kitchens

According to The Financial News, an unexpected dish is drawing attention across social media and online communities in the United States of America (US). For Koreans, soy sauce marinated eggs are a very ordinary side dish you keep in the fridge, but in the US they are known as "Mayak Eggs (Korean marinated soy sauce eggs)" and are leading the trend for K-banchan.

Mayak Eggs are enjoying huge popularity on Reddit, the largest online community in the US, as well as on Instagram and TikTok. On Reddit’s cooking boards, users are sharing Mayak Eggs as "the best meal prep item in an age of inflation." Meal prep refers to a way of planning and preparing multiple meals in advance, then taking them out and eating them over several days.
Short-form videos introducing soy sauce marinated eggs are also spreading quickly on TikTok and Instagram. Clips showing soft-boiled soy sauce marinated eggs placed on top of rice, then cut open so the yolk runs over the grains, are racking up high view counts and gaining popularity under the hashtag #MayakEggs. Comments include, "This is the best egg dish I've ever eaten. I started making it when I was broke, and now I eat it even when I have money," and "I bought a rice cooker just for this soy sauce marinated eggs recipe."

In the past, many people, including Seonkyoung Longest from season 1 of "Culinary Class Wars," had already introduced recipes for soy sauce marinated eggs under the name Mayak Eggs. Back then, the dish mainly circulated among people who were already interested in Korean food culture. Recently, however, observers say the buzz around Mayak Eggs comes not only from growing familiarity with K-culture, but also from the satisfaction they offer as a budget-friendly meal in a time of high prices.

A key reason for their appeal is the simplicity of the recipe: you just boil eggs and soak them in a soy sauce-based marinade. The dish is made with ingredients like eggs and soy sauce that are easy to find almost anywhere. In an era of high inflation, it is gaining popularity as a tasty, high-protein dish that is relatively inexpensive and quick to prepare.
Another factor is how easily the dish can be localized, such as serving it with mayonnaise or using it as a salad topping. Some commentators say the craze for Mayak Eggs is "a case that shows how K-food can grow in Western markets on the back of the popularity of K-pop and K-culture."
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter