Chinese tea eggs
Souped Up Recipes · ♥ 3.8K likes · 103.6K views · 7 min video
Read about whole eggs in the BrightCulinary Book
Timestamp
Ingredients
Method
Techniques
- 2 tbsp loose black tea
- 8–10 whole eggs
Take the eggs out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead to reach room temperature. Use a pot that fits all the eggs in one layer without empty space.
Room-temperature eggs and the right pot
- 2 whole star anise
- 4 whole bay leaves
- 2 tsp citron peppercorns
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- 2 whole dried red chilies
- 3 cloves garlic
- 6 tbsp soy sauce
- 2½ tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Add star anise, bay leaves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, optional dried chilies cut open, crushed unpeeled garlic, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, water and black tea. Five spice powder (1.5 tsp) can replace the whole spices.
- 2½ cup water
Cover and heat on medium; start timing the moment it boils. Boil 4 minutes for runny yolks, 7 for medium soft, 10 for hard boiled, or 40 for traditional street-vendor tea eggs.
During the boil, lightly tap each egg with two spoons to crack the shells without smashing them, then continue to the chosen doneness.
Turn off the heat and move the eggs to an ice bath for 2 to 3 minutes (not needed for 40-minute eggs).
Ice bath and cooling the brine
For runny-yolk eggs, cool the brine by setting the pot in ice water and swirling, about 3 minutes, to lukewarm.
Soak the eggs fully immersed in the brine in a glass or ceramic container in the fridge at least 24 hours before eating; they keep up to five days.
To reuse the brine, remove the spices, bring the brine to a full boil and store in a sealed jar, leaving headspace in glass, in the freezer up to 4 months. Next time boil eggs directly in it, topping up spices, seasonings, tea and water to taste.