The Trendy TikTok Egg Toast That Uses A Kewpie Mayo Moat

"I saw it on TikTok!" We often hear that several times a day. TikTok, now a household name and worldwide phenomenon, was originally three different dance-centric apps, reports BBC, but it's since blossomed — some may say mutated — into a fun way for creative users to share fast-paced, easily-digestible snippets of content set to music. Because of the visual, highly engaging nature of the platform, cooking videos are among the most popular "how-tos" on TikTok – The New York Times even called it the quickest way to become a foodie celebrity.

According to marketing agency Hangar12, 2022's greatest hits included science-defying cloud bread, tea bombs, and all things air fried – including pasta chips. So it's not surprising that on TikTok, even humble toast has been elevated to rockstar status with media outlets reporting on yogurt toast, per Today, and pizza toast, per Fox News, and many more. Avocado isn't the only thing the kids these days are piling onto bread. Sometimes, TikTok "hacks" can disappoint — like grated egg toast, per Insider. Sometimes, they're so outrageous that the "I've gotta try that" factor overpowers better judgment. But some TikTok buzz-foods are so simple and come together with ingredients you probably have handy: and that's a recipe for success.

One TikTok food trend making the rounds is TikTok user Kimono Mom's Egg Mayo Toast. Known as Moe, Kimono Mom is a Japanese woman who used to be a geisha, according to her website. Known for her YouTube presence, she's now going viral for an easy dish that looks as nice as it tastes. To make the egg mayo toast, you want to start with a thick slice of white bread (Kimono Mom uses milk bread, which is a fluffy, fatty bread popularized in Japan — also known as Hokkaido milk bread or shokupan. You can even make your own using this New York Times recipe, but Texas Toast or even potato bread could work if you can't get milk bread. It just has to be able to withstand a substantial burden of liquid without falling apart.

Next, remove the cap from the Kewpie mayonnaise. Per Kitchn, gently squeeze a continuous, unbroken line of mayo around the edges of the bread, leaving a square in the center. The mayo acts as a "moat" for securing the next step: a raw egg. Then, you pop it into a toaster oven — carefully — or conventional oven and bake it until the egg is cooked and the mayo moat has slightly browned. That's really it. Moe uses a Balmuda toaster with its steam functions and precision temperature control per the brand's website, but until you have $300 to blow on a new kitchen appliance, use what you've got.

The short answer is no — you can certainly use any kind of mayo that comes in a squeezable container if you want to make it easy and pretty. You could even use a flavored mayo like sriracha or chipotle to spice it up. But the long answer is yes, you absolutely should use iconic Kewpie mayo not only for this dish but for many others — such as America's Test Kitchen's hack for making cheap instant ramen taste like it's from a restaurant. According to The Wall Street Journal, Kewpie's a chef favorite with a thick, smooth texture and rich flavor. The authentic Japanese version contains MSG, which was removed from the U.S.-marked product, per MSG Dish, and turns out not to be the villain it was painted as before.

Kewpie's website states that the high concentration of amino acid-rich egg yolks, also contributes to its unique taste. It's naturally preserved with vinegar and salt and packaged in a bottle engineered to keep out air, the company says. If you need further convincing, Kewpie also recycles all their eggshells, per their website. Now you have something new to do with eggs and bread besides French toast, egg salad, and breakfast eggs on toast. The only thing difficult about Kimono Mom's egg mayo toast is trying not to burn yourself in your eagerness to eat it.