Chinese Tea Eggs

Ahhh...these babies are beautiful works of art which are easy to make...and best of all, they taste really good. These eggs are commonly sold by Chinese street vendors and are eaten as a snack. The eggs are first boiled until they reach a hard boil consistency then shells are gently cracked all over. The eggs, with the shells on, are stewed for several hours in a mixture of soy sauce, star anise, cinnamon sticks, salt, sugar, peppercorns, and black tea leaves. The cracking of the shells produces a unique marbling effect on the the eggs as well as lend a unique flavor to it.


When cracking the shells of the eggs, make sure that you are careful not to tear the shell completely otherise you will end up with an egg that is black all around instead of the beautiful marbling effect. The eggs should be eaten cold and the longer it is allowed to steep in the tea and spices mixture, the better tasting it will be.


Ingredients:

6 eggs (I used jumbo size for mine)4
2 Tbsp good quality black or pu-erh tea
2-3 star anise
2-3 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp whole peppercorns, cracked slightly
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce




1. Place eggs in a large pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil for about 2-3 minutes.
2. Remove eggs from water and let it cool. When cool enough to handle, gently crack the shells all over using the back of a spoon.
3. Place the eggs back into the boiling water and add the rest of the ingredients.
4. Allow mixture to boil and then lower heat to let the mixture simmer or about 1 hour. Add more water if needed.
5. After an hour, remove from heat and allow to cool on the counter.
6. When cool, transfer eggs and liquid to a container and place in the refrigerator to steep further for 12-24 hours or up to 2 days.
7. To serve, peel shells and serve.