LOHMANN eggs in Thailand are now also part of the local options the consumers can pick for their “onsen tamago” – or “hot spring eggs”.
What Are Onsen Eggs – and Why Are They So Special?
A traditional Japanese delicacy is making waves across Asia with its silky texture and subtle flavor.
For those who don’t know, an onsen egg is a processed egg dish which is becoming quite popular over the borders of its origin Japan and across different Asian countries.
”Onsen tamago”, which literally translates to “hot spring egg” in Japanese, originates in the practice of cooking eggs in the natural hot springs of Japan, where the temperature-stable waters provide the perfect conditions for achieving a unique texture.
By being slow-cooked for prolongued periods under lowerthan-boiling temperatures, this allows the egg whites to set into a delicate, silky-smooth custard-like consistency, while the yolk remains firmer than the usual soft-gooey, but still creamy.
Thailand Joins the Trend – with LOHMANN Inside
LOHMANN BROWN-CLASSIC layers are now part of Thailand’s growing onsen egg market through Betagro.
Betagro is one of Thailand’s top food groups, and one of LOHMANN distributors in the country, with sales of LOHMANN BROWN-CLASSIC day-old-chicks and a large scale use of LOHMANN BROWN-CLASSIC commercial layers in their own integrated farms.
With a broad range of products and brands and even their own chain of grocery retailers, Betagro developed their onsen eggs for their S-Pure and Betagro lines.
S-Pure: Quality from Farm to Fork
How Betagro’s antibiotic-free, cold chain–secured S-Pure products are raising the bar for health-conscious consumers.
Particularly the S-Pure products (including fresh eggs, chicken meat, pork and processed food products) are of great appeal to a top layer of health-conscious Thai consumers, being carefully selected using a natural farming process that starts at the selection of appropriate breeds, to the farming system and nutrition of the animals.
There is no use antibiotics or any added growth promoters or other such chemicals from birth to the production process. S-Pure products are maintained under a cold chain system that ensures freshness and quality until it reaches the consumers’ hands.
Creamy, Nutritious, and Versatile
From solo snack to gourmet topping: onsen eggs are becoming a protein-packed favourite in Thai dishes.
Onsen eggs are traditionally consumed cold or slightly warm, on their own, as a quick, tasty meal, with a dash of a special sauce (dashi + soy sauce + mirin).
However, they are becoming very popular as an addition to several other dishes, such as noodle dishes, salads, pasta or rice, adding a formidable source of high-quality protein in the shape of creaminess and a delicious flavour and sweetness that one could only get otherwise with an addition of raw eggs.
It should be said that the temperatures in which onsen eggs are cooked are high enough to minimise any risk of bacterial contaminants as compared to the odds of contamination in raw eggs.
A Niche Product with Big Potential
Still a small share of the egg market, onsen eggs represent growing opportunities for value-added products.
The consumption of onsen eggs in Thailand is still shy as compared to branded fresh eggs and a crushing majority of unbranded eggs.
Both S-Pure and Betagro onsen eggs are also only two of the products in these lines that include boiled, soft boiled and hard-boiled eggs, in addition to a variety of fresh eggs and different added values.
LOHMANN & Betagro – A Perfect Match
Nevertheless, for this venture into a product with a high appeal to our eyes and tastebuds and for all other egg products, Betagro knows well they have the right partner with us.
LOHMANN BREEDERS – It’s the egg!Try It at Home – The LOHMANN Way
Curious? Here’s how to make the perfect onsen egg using your rice cooker – straight from our Asia-Pacific expert. If you want to know how onsen eggs look and taste like, you can prepare them in the comfort of your own home, recipe from Eduardo Bernardi, our RCTM for Asia-Pacific.
All you need is fresh LOHMANN eggs and a rice cooker.
Add 5 cups of boiling water and 1.5 cups of room temperature water to the rice cooker.
Carefully lay 6 LOHMANN fresh eggs (could be straight from the fridge) into this ≈72ºC water, close the cooker and press “keep warm”.
Remove the eggs from the cooker after exactly 30 minutes and put them in the fridge.
Once they are cold, crack an egg open into a cup, a dash of any sauce or a pinch of salt, and it will be ready to be devoured with gusto.
Whether for onsen eggs or any other egg product: Betagro trusts in the consistent performance of LOHMANN breeds.
