Looking for a delicious snack that can be made ahead of time, is easy as boiling water, and beautiful to look at? Look no further! While searching for pictures to accompany T Ching posts, I repeatedly came upon gorgeous photos of “tea eggs.” I had to know more. Why were they called tea eggs? Was it because they are somehow prepared using tea, or were they eaten with tea? Turns out that both are true.
Tea eggs are a popular snack in China, Taiwan and Thailand, sold hot or cold by street vendors. Just like your mother’s potato salad, everyone’s recipe is a little different. I ate one hot — it was delicious; and next day I had one cold, and IT was delicious. Most recipes advise preparing these the day before.
Here is the recipe I used:
- 6 eggs
- cold water to cover
- 1 tablespoon black tea leaves (or the contents of two tea bags)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinese Five Spice blend
- 1 teaspoon salt
Place the eggs in cold water and bring to a boil; gently boil for five minutes. Cool the eggs by running cold water over them for a few minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, gently tap the shells with a spoon, creating a web of cracks all over the shell. Try not to remove the shell, but if part of it comes off, no sweat: those eggs will be a bit darker and absorb more of the brine, which many people prefer. Cover the eggs again with cold water and return them to the saucepan, add the remaining ingredients and bring back to the boil. Simmer gently, uncovered, for two hours. Add water as necessary to keep the water level an inch above the tops of the eggs. Turn off the flame and let the eggs sit in the brine until cooled, or overnight. Rinse the eggs gently under cold water — to remove the gritty tea leaves and spices – and refrigerate until ready to use.
When ready to serve, remove the shells, revealing a beautifully marbled surface. Serve the eggs whole, or cut into quarters garnished with sprigs of parsley. They are a delicious addition to green salad, or made into egg salad with celery and dressing. You will notice that the brine mixture has subtly flavored the white of the egg, while the yolk is scented and flavored with tea. Serve with a pot of tea for a real treat!
Note: much as you are tempted, do not use green or oolong tea in the brine. The long simmering renders these teas too bitter to flavor the eggs favorably.
Photo “Tea Eggs” is copyright under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License to the photographer Andrew Mitchell and is being posted unaltered (source)
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What an interesting idea. Thanks Regena for being so creative.
Those eggs are beautiful. Too bad you can’t just put a bunch of them in a bowl for decoration. They really do look like marble eggs. Can’t wait to try the recipe. Thanks.
Has anyone ever had Thousand Year Old Eggs (sometimes called Hundred Year Old Eggs) or Balut?
My granddaughter was out to visit in mid-August, and made up a batch . . . she ate them hot, and cold, and wrote down the recipe so she could pack them in school lunches. She loved peeling them because the insides of the shells are absolutely gorgeous. They keep for several days in the refrigerator.
Regina
These sound like something my daughter would love to make too!I’m not sure I understand how to eat them “hot”? Is thatjust eating before they
Cool or are refrigerated?
I was just gifted two tea eggs (thank you, Regena) and I can now definitively say, they are delicious. And, they are beautiful to look at, especially the inside of the shell. I am trying to figure out a new art form using the inside of tea egg shells. The patterns are marvelous.
Pattie – you’re exactly right, “hot” is before you cool them. My granddaughter loved two parts of the process: whacking the eggs with the spoon and peeling the finished product. She also loved measuring the spices, stirring, and sampling fresh off the stove!
I am making a batch, as we speak . . . this time with Assam, star anise, soy sauce, and salt. If you google “tea eggs,” you will get several recipes — including one that uses just tea and salt!
Is there something that could be substituted for the Chinese five spice blend?
Team — you can use few pieces of star anise instead of the five spice blend. Let me know what you think!
Thanks, Regena, I’ll have to buy some star anise, or maybe since I have to do that, I should just use the five spice blend? I can probably find either in the same Asian grocery store where I buy my Thai tea blend! They are so beautiful (the eggs).