Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Before You Start
- Take the egg and egg yolk out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before you begin. Cold eggs break emulsions. Room temperature eggs hold them.
- Place your jar on a flat, stable surface. A jar with straight sides works better than a bowl. It keeps the blender head fully submerged during the first few seconds, which is where the emulsion forms.
Build the Base
- Crack the whole egg and the egg yolk into the jar. Add the rice vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, and salt.
- Do not stir. Do not mix. Leave everything exactly as it landed.
Add the Oil
- Pour all 240ml of oil directly over the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream. Do not rush this. The oil should sit on top of the eggs in a distinct layer before you begin blending.
Blend
- Place the stick blender at the bottom of the jar. Press it all the way down until it touches the base. Turn it on.
- Do not move it for the first 10 seconds. Keep it completely still while the emulsion forms at the bottom of the jar. You will see white, thick mayonnaise forming around the blender head.
- After 10 seconds, begin moving the blender slowly upward in a straight line, drawing the oil down into the emulsion. This takes 20 to 30 seconds. Stop when the mixture is uniform. Thick, pale, and smooth with no visible oil.
Taste and Adjust
- Dip a clean spoon and taste. The mayonnaise should be rich, slightly tangy, and just barely sweet. If it needs more acid, add rice vinegar in half teaspoon increments. If it needs more salt, add a small pinch and blend for five seconds.
Rest
- Transfer to a sealed container. Refrigerate for a minimum of one hour before using. Overnight is better. The flavour of the raw egg mellows and the emulsion firms slightly into a consistency that spreads cleanly without tearing the bread.
Notes
Kewpie mayonnaise is the correct store-bought substitute if you do not have time to make this from scratch. It is made with rice vinegar and egg yolks, which gives it a richer, slightly tangier flavour than standard Western mayonnaise. Available in most Asian grocery stores and online. Do not substitute standard mayonnaise. The flavour profile is different enough to affect the finished sandwich.
The emulsion can break if the oil is added too fast or the eggs are too cold. To fix a broken mayonnaise: crack a fresh egg yolk into a clean jar, add one tablespoon of the broken batch and blend until combined, then slowly stream in the rest while blending. The fresh yolk re-emulsifies the mixture.
This recipe keeps for 5 days refrigerated in a sealed container. Do not freeze it. Freezing breaks the emulsion permanently.
If you are pregnant, elderly, immunocompromised, or cooking for young children, use pasteurised eggs. The recipe works identically.