If you want to add an explosion of umami to quite literally any dish - be it a plate of pasta or a garden salad - keep a few of these egg yolks in your fridge. Cured in a sweet, salty paste of miso, mirin, and sugar, the final result has a firm texture ideal for grating over your meal like you would a hard cheese.

Directions

1. In a medium pan, combine white miso with mirin, sugar, and water over medium heat. Continue stirring until a thick, smooth paste forms, adjusting heat as needed to prevent the mixture from simmering.
2. If needed, separate egg yolks in a small bowl and set aside.
3. In a small container, add half the miso mixture. Using a spoon or spatula, form a small well in the miso for each egg yolk, then gently place the yolks into each space. Layer egg yolks with the remaining miso mixture until fully covered (see notes).
4. Cover with lid or a sheet of plastic wrap and transfer the container to the fridge. Let egg yolks cure for 5-7 days.
5. Once cured, use two fingers or a slotted spoon to dig around and remove the solid egg yolk from the miso paste. Seeing a runny yolk-like substance around the yolk is common; this is typically the liquid transferred out of the yolk during the curing process.
6. Carefully rinse yolks under water and gently pat dry to remove all excess moisture.
7. Preheat oven (if using) to 200F. Grease and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. 
8. Place cured egg yolks on the prepared sheet pan and place in the oven or air fryer. Bake for 15 minutes before flipping, then continue baking egg yolks for another 15 minutes.
9. Remove cured egg yolks from the oven and let cool completely.
10. Once cool, store cured egg yolks in fridge in air tight container until ready to use. Grate as you would Parmesan cheese and sprinkle overtop salads, noodles, and more!

Farm Team Tips

By creating wells for the egg yolks and slightly thinning out the miso, the goal is that the curing mixture won’t weigh on the yolks and make them burst. If this happens, remove egg yolk matter with a spoon, add a little more water to your miso paste mixture and mix well. Set new egg yolks into the wells and carefully place miso mixture on top.

When storing the cured yolks, put salt on the bottom of the container to keep the yolks dry.

Miso cured yolks can be safely stored in the refrigerator for about 1 month.