Pickled Pink (& Brown).

("Soy Sauce Marinated Eggs")
April 23, 2025.
by Bridget O'Donnell
This month we dabbled or, more precisely pickled in natural food dyes for the few weeks it took me to decide what to make for the holiday. …Our meal would be for a smaller party of two to maybe four but provide enough leftovers to cover dinner most of the week. In addition to providing some respite, it would also leave more room after work for projects or hobbies and, equally as important, time to relax. In the meantime…
Title of cookbook/website: All About Eggs: Everything We Know About the World's Most Important Food.
Author of Recipe: Rachel Khong
What prompted you to check out this recipe?
Last month, while my coworker and I were discussing individual food preferences they shared a recipe similar to Momofuku's “Soy Sauce Marinated Eggs.” It should come as no surprise that I had never tried anything like it but, jumping in with no expectations left no room for disappointment. A week or so later, I came across a recipe for “tea eggs” in Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, and Other Curiously Named Classic Chinese Dishes. Aside from types of vinegar, there were two other differences between this recipe and my coworker’s. In addition to adding black tea to the brine, the recipe suggested leaving the cracked shell on the egg while pickling it for a somewhat marbled effect. Neat. As a follow-up I tried pickling with a different color ingredient. Full of nutrients, beets enter stage right (or left, your choice) for some "Quick Pickled Eggs and Beets." In lieu of coloring Easter eggs in the traditional sense, we colored a couple of eggs in their cracked shells (like tea eggs) and a couple of peeled eggs, for comparison. (If you're interested in coloring Easter eggs with natural dyes consider taking a look at pg. 84 in A Garden to Dye For by Chris McLaughlin.)
All About Eggs was chosen for this review because it had some variation of all of the recipes mentioned herewith. Photo inserts, called the “Recipe Picture Menu” can be found in the center of the book beginning on pg. 113.
Hard Boiled Egg, pg. 90;
Tea eggs, pg. 228;
Lourdes’s Deviled Eggs with Tuna, pg. 165;
Pennsylvania Dutch Pickled Beet eggs, pg. 247.
What did you like about this recipe?
The recipes are succinct.
Pickling eggs may not enhance their nutritional value but it may increase their shelf life, even if for a nominal amount of time.
What didn't you like about this recipe?
Pickled eggs may be an acquired taste for some and because both recipes were new to me I can’t be sure that I tried either version with the right accompaniments. The eggs pickled in soy sauce probably would have been better in a rice bowl or ramen than on toast with cheese (for breakfast). Similarly, while the eggs pickled with beets went well in a green salad (for lunch), I went a little further and made them into deviled eggs.
Aesthetically, leaving the cracked shell on while quick pickling the egg didn’t marble it as much as I expected.
Favorite recipes (that you tried from the cookbook/website):
The "Quick Pickled Eggs and Beets" rendered as “Deviled Eggs” seemed to be our favorite version.
Did you alter the recipe or make any substitutions?
People have undoubtedly noticed the rising price of eggs, an imminent result of the bird flu. Since this was an experiment, I reduced the number of eggs pickled in both recipes.
For the deviled eggs I opted to omit the vinegar because it was an ingredient used in the pickling brine. Both shelled and unshelled deviled eggs were palatable. We enjoyed them as a snack and then as an accompaniment to a larger meal.
Would you recommend this recipe?
Yes, it was a fun experiment. You'll need to be able to hard boil eggs but don't worry, no matter what level you’re at in the kitchen there are a plethora of books and websites available, though with slight differences. One example can be found in The How-to Cookbook for Teens: 100 Easy Recipes to Learn the Basics by Julee Morrison (pg. 48).
To help get you started, I usually… cover large eggs in a pot with cold water, add salt (optional) and bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, remove the pot from the heat and cover for ~6-8mins. Remove the eggs from the water and let them cool (I don’t cool the eggs in a bowl of ice water, but it’s almost unanimously recommended). As you can see from the pictures below the yolks aren’t centered. Periodically stirring the eggs as the water comes to a boil might help center the yolk.
![]() Eggs ready to pickle with beets in their juice, vinegar and sugar. | ![]() “”Quick Pickled Eggs and Beets" (Egg on top - Pickled in a cracked shell, Egg of Bottom - Shell removed before pickling.) |
![]() “Deviled Eggs,” the foremost pickled with beets. | ![]() And, because I couldn't really decide what to make for our holiday dinner with leftovers, “Slow Roast Leg of Lamb” and… |
![]() a combination of “Wine Braised Beef Brisket” and “Classic Braised Brisket with Onions” + the sides. | ![]() Beef Brisket, plated and served with sliced sourdough baguette. Happy Holiday / Spring! |
References:
Books –
All About Eggs: Everything We Know About the World's Most Important Food / Rachel Khong.
The Brisket Chronicles: How to Barbecue, Braise, Smoke, and Cure the World's Most Epic Cut of Meat / Steven Raichlen.
Budda Jumps Over the Wall, and Other Curiously Named Classic Chinese Dishes / Ying Chang Compestine. - (tea eggs, pg. 24-25)
Egg: A Culinary Exploration of the World's Most Versatile Ingredient / Michael Ruhlman.
A Garden to Dye For / Chris McLaughlin. - (Easter egg dyes, pg. 84)
The How-To Cookbook for Teens: 100 Easy Recipes to Learn the Basics / Julee Morrison. - (hard boiled eggs, pg. 48; deviled eggs, pg. 49)
The Joy of Cooking: 600 New Recipes, More than 4,000 Favorites, Revised and Updated / Irma S. Rombauer. - (2019. hard boiled egg, pg. 151; deviled eggs, pickled eggs, pg. 151; beet pickled eggs, pg. 152)
Websites -
Bauer, Elise. “How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs.” Simply Recipes, 14 February 2025, www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_perfect_hard_boiled_eggs/. Accessed 22 April 2025.
Bryan, Lisa. “How to Boil Eggs Perfectly (Every Time).” Downshiftology, 19 November 2024, downshiftology.com/recipes/perfect-soft-boiled-hard-boiled-eggs/. Accessed 22 April 2025.
“Cousin David’s Slow Cooker Brisket.” Allrecipes, 21 August 2024, www.allrecipes.com/recipe/70096/cousin-davids-slow-cooker-brisket/. Accessed 22 April 2025. - (If you’re interested in using the slow cooker, another coworker suggests this recipe.)
Donofrio, Jeanine. “How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs Every Single Time.” Love and Lemons, 13 April 2025, www.loveandlemons.com/how-to-make-hard-boiled-eggs/. Accessed 22 April 2025.
Genius Recipes. “Momofuku’s Soy Sauce Eggs.” Food52, 12 July 2021, food52.com/recipes/35930-momofuku-s-soy-sauce-eggs?srsltid=AfmBOoqKJAZeSPDan5Sf0vNclpYExhNemsQOgTxU5GGYfYD68hSz6nTD. Accessed 22 April 2025. - (This recipe is very close to the one my coworker shared with me. Add ½ t chili garlic sauce or more to taste, use the vinegar of your choice and you’ve got it.)
Hagymas, Sherri. “Easy Classic Deviled Eggs Recipe.” To Simply Inspire, 22 May 2024, www.tosimplyinspire.com/deviled-eggs.html. Accessed 22 April 2025.
Maehashi, Nagi. “Slow Roast Leg of Lamb.” RecipeTin Eats, 29 March 2024, www.recipetineats.com/slow-roast-leg-of-lamb/#wprm-recipe-container-23734. Accessed 22 April 2025.
McLaughlin, Michael. “Red-Wine-Braised Brisket.” Bon Appétit, 8 August 2023, www.bonappetit.com/recipe/braised-beef-brisket. Accessed 22 April 2025.
Segal, Jennifer. “Classic Braised Brisket with Onions.” Once Upon a Chef, 18 March 2025, www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/onion-braised-beef-brisket.html#tabrecipe. Accessed 22 April 2025.
Swanson, Cathy. “Quick Pickled Eggs and Beets.” Allrecipes, 14 April 2025, www.allrecipes.com/recipe/45157/quick-pickled-eggs-and-beets/. Accessed 22 April 2025.
“What Is the Difference Between Pickling and Fermenting?” WebstaurantStore, www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/3658/pickling-vs-fermenting.html?srsltid=AfmBOoor51Tp4K2QewH7hPIckZ4cEjskrEgG5JDXnNlPtOvQE71imiRY. Accessed 22 April 2025.
“Wine-Braised Beef Brisket.” Allrecipes, 22 October 2023, www.allrecipes.com/recipe/221041/wine-braised-beef-brisket/. Accessed 22 April 2025.
Quick Subject/Concept links to the Discover Online Library catalog (organized alphabetically, by subject):
Cooking (Eggs)
Dyes and dyeing, Domestic.
Dye plants.
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