Chinese tea eggs
Souped Up Recipes · ♥ 3.6K likes · 97.4K views · 6 min video
Read about whole eggs in the BrightCulinary Book
Timestamp
Ingredients
Method
Techniques
- 8 cups water
- 3 pieces star anise
- 3 pieces bay leaf
- 3 cloves garlic
- dry hot chilies (optional)
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 cup soy sauce
Combine the water, star anise, bay leaf, garlic, dry hot chilies, cinnamon stick and soy sauce in a pot.
- tea leaves
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1½ tsp five spice
- ½ tbsp Sichuan peppercorn
- 1 tbsp salt
Add the tea leaves, dark soy sauce, five spice, Sichuan peppercorn and salt.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then drop to low and cook 15 minutes, long enough to bring out all the spices' aroma.
- 8 whole eggs
Pour some of the brine into a smaller saucepan, enough to cover all the eggs. Add the eggs, cover and boil 2 minutes.
- ice cubes
Cool the big batch of brine down with ice cubes so the eggs can go back in without overcooking.
Lift the eggs out and refresh them in an ice bath. Cracked shells are fine; they get cracked anyway.
Tap the shell lightly with the back of a spoon to craze the surface without breaking the egg, so the brine can get in and infuse it.
Take the ice out of the cold brine and put the eggs in. Leave at least 4 hours, or overnight.