Osaka had given me fire and redemption, but Tokyo still held my unfinished business.
I told myself I was returning for closure. A foolish lie. The truth was, I had never stopped thinking about her. The sharp-eyed woman. The one who had tested me with potato salad and found me wanting.
I found her exactly where I had left her—in the same quiet izakaya, at the same corner seat, swirling her sake with the idle amusement of a woman who had orchestrated many downfalls and would orchestrate many more.
She barely looked up. “You came back.”
A statement, not a question.
Before I could reply, a plate slid in front of me. A tamago sando.
Soft, crustless shokupan, encasing a thick layer of egg salad so impossibly silky, I questioned the laws of physics. The yolks—rich, golden, surely the result of a deal with forces beyond human comprehension. Just a hint of Kewpie mayo, a whisper of Dijon, a sigh of dashi.
It was a trap. A challenge. A final reckoning.
I picked it up, held her gaze, and took a bite.
The world around me softened. I was no longer in a bar in Tokyo—I was floating, untethered, lost in a dream made of egg and memory. The taste was nostalgia and longing and everything I had run from.
She smirked. “So?”
I swallowed. Exhaled. “I should have asked for seconds.”
Her smirk deepened. She took a sip of sake and pushed another sando toward me.
This time, I did not hesitate.
How To Make A Tamago Sando At Home
Since there are only four ingredients in this recipe you should be able to make this whenever you feel like. After all, it only takes a few minutes to put a sandwich together once everything is prepared. While I just use store bought bread, you can make it yourself at home with a simple pullman loaf pan.
Ingredients
1 loaf Shokupan – This Japanese sandwich bread is milk based, similar to a brioche. If you cannot find shokupan and don’t feel like making one at home, then you can just use regular white sandwich bread, or brioche.
- 8 Eggs – boiled, cooled, and peeled
- 4 Green Onions – chopped
- 3 tbsp Japanese Mayonnaise – if it looks like you need more go ahead and add another tbsp. It really depends on how mayo-y you like your egg salad.
Give your eggs a rough chop and place them in a bowl along with the green onion and mayonnaise. Mix everything together. You can taste here to see if you like the flavor and if you want to adjust anything. Unlike western style egg salad, I don’t include salt, or really any other herbs and spices in this recipe as my mayonnaise (and Japanese mayo in general) is well seasoned. However if you feel it needs something go ahead and adjust to your taste preferences.
Spread the egg salad mix on a slice of bread, top with another, and cut on diagonally for a proper Japanese convenience store presentation. Enjoy!
Related Recipe: Potato Salad Sando
Tamago Sando
Ingredients
Method
- Start with boiling your eggs for about 9 minutes. Then place them under running cold water until cool. Then peel and roughly chop them. Place in a bowl.
- Add to the bowl the chopped green onion and Japanese mayonnaise and give everything a good mix.
- Spread the egg salad on a slice of bread and cover with another slice. Cut diagonally and enjoy!
