Tamago sando

Place the eggs into a pot large enough to hold them in a single layer and cover with cold water by one inch

Bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and cover the pot. Remove 2 of the eggs after 7 minutes and place into a bowl of iced water

Replace the lid, then remove the remaining eggs after 3 more minutes (10 minutes total). Transfer the 10-minute eggs to a separate bowl of iced water

Leave both sets of eggs to cook for 5 minutes

Peel the 10 minute eggs, then halve them and scoop out the yolks into one bowl and the whites into another

Mash the egg yolks together with the mayonnaise, sugar, white pepper and black pepper until smooth and creamy

Finely chop the egg whites and stir them through the egg yolk mixture. Season the mixture with salt to taste. Add the chives, if using

Peel the remaining two eggs and leave whole

Spread two pieces of bread with the egg mixture, then make a dip in each for the whole eggs

Add the whole eggs to the dip and top with the second slice of bread. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve with an extra sprinkling of chives