Japanese egg salad sandwich with a Kewpie-style mayonnaise

Place four eggs spaced out on the bottom of a saucepan, add about a cup of water (a quarter inch deep), bring to a boil over medium-high, cover tightly and steam exactly 11 minutes.

Turn off the heat, drain the water using the lid, blast with cold water a few seconds to stop the cooking, drain again and shake the pan to crack each shell.

Cover with more cold water and let cool completely; water seeping under the cracked shells makes them easier to peel.

For the mayo, mix American mayonnaise with kosher salt, a little sugar, 1 teaspoon mustard, a few drops of hot sauce, a little lemon juice and some rice vinegar until very smooth; optionally add MSG or hondashi. Wrap and refrigerate.

Roll each egg under the hand to loosen the shell, peel, and rinse under a little running water to remove shell particles.

In a wide shallow bowl, cut the eggs in half (or quarters) with the side of a fork, then press with the back of the fork into small pieces, not a fine paste.

Add a couple pinches of salt, a pinch of sugar, a few shakes of cayenne, 1 tablespoon heavy cream and a few spoonfuls of the mayo; stir with the tip of a vertical spoon, lightly, so the yolks are not pureed into the dressing. Wrap and chill thoroughly.

Butter the bread generously so it does not get soggy; spread about half the egg salad in an even layer, top with the second slice, pat, flip and pat again.

Wrap and refrigerate about an hour, then cut in half diagonally, crust on.