Japanese Egg Sandwich (Tamago Sando)
Creamy, savory egg salad piled between pillowy-soft crustless Japanese milk bread — the iconic convenience-store tamago sando, made at home. Rich with jammy egg and Kewpie mayo, it comes together in 25 minutes, holds up beautifully, and is perfect for a light meal or tucked into a lunchbox.
Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Serves
4
Ingredients
Egg salad
- 6 large eggs
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1–2 tsp milk (optional, for hard-boiled eggs)
- 4 tbsp Japanese (Kewpie) mayonnaise
Sandwich
- 4 slices Japanese milk bread (shokupan)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- Chives, sliced, for garnish (optional)
Method
- 1
Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl.
- 2
Bring a pot of water to a boil, then gently lower in the eggs. Boil 7 minutes, turn off the heat and let sit 1 minute for jammy medium eggs (or boil 10 minutes for hard-boiled). Transfer to the ice bath for 2 minutes, then peel while still lukewarm.
- 3
Add the peeled eggs to a bowl and mash with a fork, then season with the sugar, salt and pepper. Keep mashing to pieces smaller than a pea but bigger than minced (a paring knife helps).
- 4
Stir in the Kewpie mayo (and the milk, if you used hard-boiled eggs) until creamy. Taste and adjust salt, pepper or mayo.
- 5
Spread 1/2 tablespoon softened butter evenly onto each slice of milk bread — this seals the bread so it doesn't go soggy.
- 6
Pile the egg salad generously onto one slice, top with another slice buttered-side down, and press gently.
- 7
Slice the crusts off all four sides, then cut each sandwich in half (or into thirds/triangles). Garnish with chives and serve, or wrap for later.
Tips
- Buttering both slices to the edges is the trick that keeps the bread soft, not soggy — essential if you're packing it.
- Kewpie (Japanese) mayo makes it — it's richer and tangier than regular mayo. Regular mayo works but add a tiny splash of rice vinegar.
- For lunchboxes: use fully hard-boiled eggs (no runny yolk), wrap tightly in plastic, and keep chilled with an ice pack.
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