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Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs

SUBMITTED BY: SOYGIRL2 PHOTO BY: Caroline C

"One of my favorite dishes when I head back home; it combines hard-boiled eggs with the subtle flavor of anise and the deep brown hues of black tea and soy. The cracked patterns from the broken shells make these quite attractive! I eat these sliced in quarters and chilled as a side dish, appetizer, or snack. Recipe courtesy of Mom."

RECIPE RATING:

Read Reviews (8)

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PREP TIME	20 Min
COOK TIME	3 Hrs
READY IN	11 Hrs 20 Min
Original recipe yield 8 eggs

SERVINGS

(Help)

Servings
USMETRIC

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

8 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon black soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons black tea leaves
2 pods star anise
1 (2 inch) piece cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon tangerine zest

DIRECTIONS

In a large saucepan, combine eggs and 1 teaspoon salt; cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and cool. When cool, tap eggs with the back of a spoon to crack shells (do not remove shells).
In a large saucepan, combine 3 cups water, soy sauce, black soy sauce, salt, tea leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick, and tangerine zest. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 3 hours. Remove from heat, add eggs, and let steep for at least 8 hours.

FOOTNOTE

Eggs can steep up to 1 1/2 days for richer flavor. Store eggs unpeeled and tightly sealed in refrigerator. They will keep 4 to 5 days.

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REVIEWS

Reviewed on Jan. 25, 2004 by SURFWENCH

This is one of those suprising recipes. You read it and think it just can't taste good, but... MORE

Reviewed on Jan. 25, 2004 by SAMMARTI

I fudged a bit and only used water, soy, Wort. sauce and tea leaves. Make sure the cracks in... MORE

Reviewed on Apr. 13, 2007 by fides

Please note that the Chinese "dark/black" soy sauce is VERY different than the "light/regular"... MORE

Reviewed on Jan. 25, 2004 by Loladear

I love Chinese tea leaf eggs. Always takes longer to make than you'd think though. This... MORE

Reviewed on Feb. 22, 2006 by EGGY3

Way too salty, and I had to keep on adding more water. If I ever make these again, I will... MORE

Reviewed on Jul. 9, 2005 by SELEA

How can you argue with success? I took them to a large group potluck today, and when I... MORE

Reviewed on Feb. 25, 2007 by evette

I LOVE THIS RECIPE. I AGREE THAT YOU HAVE TO BREAK THE MEMBRANE TO GET THE MARBLED EFFECT. I... MORE

Reviewed on Jun. 14, 2006 by Caroline C

These looked very very pretty, but the flavor was not at all good. Fun to do but I won't be... MORE