Mild Japanese-Style Egg Salad Sandwiches

Place 4 raw large eggs in a small saucepan on the stovetop. Cover with cold water until it sits about 5 cm above the eggs.

Bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, immediately turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid, and let it sit for 10 minutes to hard-boil the eggs.

While the eggs cook, wash and peel 1 small raw carrot. Use a fine grater to grate the carrot until you have 2 tbsp of finely grated carrot.

Prepare an ice bath in a bowl. Transfer the boiled eggs to the ice bath for 3 minutes to cool completely, then gently peel them.

Place the peeled eggs in a medium bowl and mash them with a fork until they are broken into small, uniform pieces.

Add 3 tbsp of mayonnaise, 2 tbsp of grated carrot, 1/4 tsp of sugar, and 1/8 tsp of salt to the mashed eggs. Stir well until the mixture is creamy and thoroughly combined.

Lay out 4 slices of sandwich bread. Spread 1/2 tbsp of softened unsalted butter evenly across two of the slices, making sure to cover them completely from edge to edge to create a moisture barrier. Repeat with the remaining 1/2 tbsp of butter on the other two slices.

Divide the egg salad mixture evenly and spread it over the buttered side of two bread slices. Top with the remaining two slices, buttered side facing down.

To pack for travel, wrap each sandwich tightly in parchment paper or plastic wrap, then slice in half. Place in a rigid, airtight container to prevent crushing, and store with an ice pack until ready to eat.