Pages

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Chinese Tea Eggs (糖心茶葉蛋)


150edited

Tea egg is a typical Asian savory food commonly sold as a snack.  It is also known as marbled egg because the cracks in the egg shells create darkened lines with marble-like patterns. Chinese Tea Eggs are commonly sold by street vendors or in night markets in most Chinese communities.  This Easter, why not try some Chinese Tea Eggs instead of the traditional dyed eggs?  These Chinese Tea Eggs are flavorful snacks and just as beautiful as other dyed eggs, don’t you agree?  Plus, the lovely colors are all natural from the tea, soy sauce and other spices used in the marinade. 

092edited

I personally love a soft egg yolk in my boiled eggs.  So, this is how I prepared mine.  If you preferred a hard boiled egg instead, by all means go for it.  I’ll put the cooking time in details in the recipe for both “doneness”.  I think the soft egg yolk (糖心蛋黃) is gorgeous, don’t you agree?

206edited

These Chinese Tea Eggs are super simple to prepare, here’s what you need to do.  First, place the eggs in a medium pot and fill with cold tap water to cover the eggs by 1-inch.  This step is important because if you add cold eggs into hot water instead, the egg shells will crack.  Yes, we’ll be cracking them, eventually, but not now.  When the eggs are still raw, you know what will happen when they cracked.  Not pretty, not pretty at all!    

004edite

Cover the pot and bring to a boil on medium low heat and let the eggs simmer for 3 minutes for soft egg yolks.  (8 minutes for hard boil eggs)

016edited

Rinse the eggs under cold tap water until cooled.

009edited

Here’s the fun part, with the back of a spoon, gently tap the eggshells to make cracks all over the shells.  See, you do get to crack the shells; as much or as little as you wanted.  The more you tap, the more marbles and patterns you’ll get on the eggs.  I love lots of cracks because that also means lots of flavors.  But please be gentle, you still want the egg shells intact.  Then, set them aside after you had the fun.

044edite

My Mom gave me this black tea leaves called Pu-erh (普洱茶葉 in Chinese).  It’s a type of Chinese black tea that’s really dark and quite flavorful.  Or, you can simply use any other black tea varieties that you have on hand.

023edited

With the same medium pot, add 4 cups of water, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, star anise, tea leaves, cinnamon stick, sugar, and five spice powders and simmer the liquid for 15 minutes. 

029edited

Remove from heat and add the cracked eggs while the liquid is still hot. Cover and let them steep overnight.

048edited

I personally love to serve these Chinese Tea Eggs with a sprinkle of Szechuan Pepper Salt (椒鹽).  Not only it adds a punch, but also a little crunch from the flaky salt. 

218edited

Simply heat the cracked Szechuan pepper and flaky salt (kosher or sea salt) in a small dry pan for a few minutes until fragrant and that’s it.  These Chinese Tea Eggs are best serve warm or at room temperature.  I simply reheat the number of eggs that I’m serving in the pot of tea-marinate, until they are slightly warmed through.  

049edited

My hubby and the kids love them plain without the pepper salt.  Either way, you can taste the spices and black tea in these eggs.  I hope you’ll give them a try because they taste even more amazing than their look!  Happy Easter everyone.  I’m going to do some “egg hunt” in my pot of tea mixture!  

107editedJPG
 
 



Chinese Tea Eggs (糖心茶葉蛋): (Printable Recipe)


Ingredient for the Tea Eggs:
6 to 8 eggs
4 cups water
6 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 star anise
3 tablespoons black tea (or 2 teabags), I used 普洱茶葉
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon turbinado sugar (a.k.a raw sugar), or you can use brown sugar
2 tablespoon five spice powder

Ingredients for the Pepper Salt:
2 tablespoons kosher or coarse salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper

To prepare the Chinese Tea Eggs:
Place the eggs in a medium pot and fill with cold tap water to cover the eggs by 1-inch. Bring the pot to a boil on medium low heat and let the eggs simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the eggs and discard the water. Rinse the eggs under cold tap water until cooled. With the back of a spoon, gently tap the eggshells to make cracks all over the shells. Set aside.

With the same medium pot, add the 4 cups of water, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, star anise, tea leaves, cinnamon, sugar, and five spice powders and simmer the liquid for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the eggs. Cover and let them steep overnight.

To prepare the Pepper Salt:
Place salt and pepper in a small pan and heat over low heat for a few minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before use.





110 comments:

  1. Hi Amy, delicious tea eggs, one of my favorite. I love your soft egg yolk version, will try this next time when I make tea egg.

    Nice presentation. Happy Easter Sunday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Amelia. Let me know how they turn out if you try them. :) Wish you a wonderful weekend.

      Delete
  2. these eggs are so gorgeously speckled and mosaiced! and yes, the egg yolks are absolutely gorgeous too.. very tempting, indeed! ^^

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Hui. Yes, I love that soft egg yolk. :) Wish you and your family a wonderful weekend.

      Delete
  3. Hola Amy te ha quedado muy lindo el diseño,tengo que experimentar ésta técnica.Feliz Pascua ya hoy es resurrección,bendiciones,hugs,hugs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gracias, querida. Me alegro de que te guste. Deseo a usted ya su familia un fin de semana maravilloso.

      Delete
  4. Those are beautiful! I love food that is almost too pretty to eat. I've never heard of tea eggs before. I will be pinning this for next Easter (a bit too late for me to make tonight).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, I love pretty food too. ;) Thanks for pinning and hope you'll give them a try some day. They are simply yummy. ;) Have a wonderful and gorgeous weekend.

      Delete
  5. What a neat technique! The bright yolks look so pretty!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sue. Yes, those yolks are my favorites. ;) Wish you and your family a beautiful weekend.

      Delete
  6. Thank you Amy, you are so very sweet for changing your comment box. I love your beautiful eggs and our whole family loves to drink puer tea, even my teenagers. I love going to the different tea houses in Hong Kong and trying the different varieties of fermented and unfermented puer from different regions. I cant wait to give your recipe a try as your eggs look so beautiful and your recipe looks very easy to follow. Take care, BAM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're most welcome and thank you for stopping by. Yes, I love all kinds of tea as well. I just wish there are more tea house in the States that I can visit. ;) Hope you'll like these tea eggs if you try them.

      Delete
  7. Yum! Beautiful marbles. And yes, I am totally with you that these are GORGEOUS!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Angie. Glad you like these tea eggs.

      Delete
  8. I love tea eggs--what a fantastic twist on your traditional Easter ones! Thanks, Amy :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you.m Glad to hear you love tea eggs too. ;)

      Delete
  9. Hello Amy
    I started to loves tea eggs when my sister kept on persuading me to try it. Here selling one egg about $1. I got to make this myself since I loves this. You make yours looking beautifully with the marbled effect. Just lovely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Mel. I love tea eggs too. I'm just glad that I can make my own because I hardly see any places in the States that sell them. :) These are pretty easy to make. Glad you like the marbling on them.

      Delete
  10. These are naturally beautiful and elegant!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Belinda. :) Glad you love my tea eggs.

      Delete
  11. may be this simple.but d step wise r very helpfunl n so beautiful luking eggs.
    Maha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Maha. Yes, these tea eggs are very easy to make. :) Just need some patient to let them sit overnight.

      Delete
  12. I've seen quite a few recipes for Chinese Tea Eggs recently, yours are really gorgeous! Love the marbling effect on the eggs. Happy Easter, Amy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Baby Sumo. I guess many people like Chinese Tea Eggs for Easter. :) Glad you like the marbling on mine.

      Delete
  13. These are so cool! I love the marbled look.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Brittany. :) Glad you like the marble effect.

      Delete
  14. What beautiful eggs. Happy Easter to you too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Beth. :) Have a wonderful week ahead.

      Delete
  15. I love Chinese Tea Eggs! Never made them myself, though - I really need to. Love the idea of Szechuan pepper salt - something I need to try. Good stuff - thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. Oh, these tea eggs are so easy to make. But the main reason I NEED to make them at home was because I couldn't find any good ones in the area. :) But that's good, now that I can make them the way I like them and any time I crave for some. ;)

      Delete
  16. Happy Easter! I love to eat these tea eggs but have never eaten them with Szechuan pepper salt.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. :) Glad to hear you love tea eggs too. I like the pepper salt for a little crunch and salty flavors. :)

      Delete
  17. Yummy! I absolutely love tea eggs with anything I eat. My prefer is to have it with Chinese congee! I also like it when the yolk is slightly runny (the downside is you can't keep them for too long). Thanks for the awesome recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you love tea eggs as well. Yes, can't keep those with runny yolks for too long. But then, those usually don't last long in my house. :P

      Delete
  18. I love Chinese tea eggs, they're super pretty and elegant. I have to try this soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Ruby. Good to know you love tea eggs too. :) Hope you'll like this recipe.

      Delete
  19. I love tea eggs and yours look so beautifully marbled.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. Glad to know you love tea eggs too, Fong. :)

      Delete
  20. Ooh I love how they are still boiled so perfectly. I usually simmer the eggs but I also like soft eggs so definitely trying this method! Thanks for sharing =D Happy Easter!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. Glad to know you like soft boil eggs and tea eggs too. :) Hope you like this method.

      Delete
  21. That looks so yummy, one of my absolute favorite way of eating eggs! Happy Easter to you too, albeit a little late!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jeannie. It's never too late for well wishes and greetings. :) Wish you a beautiful week ahead.

      Delete
  22. Those look incredible and the pattern is so pretty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Lisa. I'm glad you like my tea eggs. :) Wish you a wonderful week ahead.

      Delete
  23. Amy, I have always wanted to try these. I am so glad you posted the recipe.Hope you had a fantastic Easter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Abbe. Let me know how they turn out if you try. :) Wish you a wonderful week ahead.

      Delete
  24. I totally never thought of using this for Easter eggs. You are so clever. This and shoyu tamago are one of my favouritest ways to have eggs. So herby and flavourful. I usually get those prepacked tea eggs herbal packets for this but it's good to know that the spices are so simple.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jayne. Glad to know you love tea eggs and shoyo tamago too. :) Yes, this is quite easy to put together. Hope you'll give it a try.

      Delete
  25. lovely idea..eggs are so beautiful and cute..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Gayathri. Glad you like these tea eggs. :) I really adore their natural beauty.

      Delete
  26. I love tea eggs. There's a place I used to visit in SF to buy these for snacking. Thanks for sharing your lovely recipe Amy. Happy Easter!

    Anne ~ Uni Homemaker

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Anne. :) Yeah, these are perfect snack food. Too bad no one are selling these in my area. But the good thing is that I can make my own. :P Have a wonderful week ahead.

      Delete
  27. These are gorgeous! I have got to try this, these look so fun to make!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Cathleen. Oh yes, these tea eggs are simple and pretty fun to make. Hope you'll give them a try soon. Have a wonderful week ahead.

      Delete
  28. I've been thinking of making chinese tea eggs for Easter this year, but went with regular colored ones, though now I'm thinking, I might have just made a mistake, yours look so pretty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. :) No mistake, I think both Chinese tea eggs or regular colored ones are good. You can definitely make these and enjoy the great snack even the Easter is over. ;)

      Delete
  29. C'est superbe.
    Je ne connaissais pas.
    Très belle idée.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. Glad you like these tea eggs. :) Have a wonderful week ahead.

      Delete
  30. i'm absolutely amazed by and smitten with this technique! what a stunning result, and bonus--it's relatively easy to accomplish! thank you for sharing this! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Grace. Glad you like it. It's so simple to prepare the the result is amazing. Hope you'll give them a try soon. :)

      Delete
  31. What a lovely recipe! Never came across Tea eggs before this. They look fantastic and unique!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. Glad you like these tea eggs. I guess they are more popular in Asia countries. :) I hardly see any place sell them in the U.S.

      Delete
  32. What a beautiful marble effect on the egg!!!! this is one of my favorite chinese tea egg!!!! yummy!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Esther. Glad to know you also love Chinese Tea Eggs. :) Wish you a beautiful week ahead.

      Delete
  33. I haven't had a chinese tea egg for years but am craving one right now! They always smell so good and I love the marbled effect.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Trishie. I can't find good tea eggs in my area so I have to make my own. :) Hope you'll give these a try soon. Have a wonderful week ahead.

      Delete
  34. Hola Amy,,,,, me ha gustado mucho los huevos te han quedado muy bonitos y encima facil, asi que un dia de estos los hago haber como me queda, gracias por darnos la receta y el paso a paso con esas fotos tan bonitas, un beso y que pases una buena semana

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Muchas gracias. Me alegro de que te gustan estos huevos té chino. :) Deseo un poder enviarle algunos a intentar. Tenga un feliz lunes y una semana maravillosa por delante.

      Delete
  35. These eggs look just beautiful. Wow! I can't stop looking at the pictures. Thank you so much for sharing them with me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome and thank you, Monet. Glad you like these Tea Eggs. :) Happy Monday and have a wonderful week.

      Delete
  36. These eggs look fantastic! My husband loves eggs, and I know he will like these. Also, I am sure the house must smell amazing when making these. Hope you had a great Easter!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Lokness. Oh yes, these are yummy and my kitchen definitely smells wonderful when I'm making these eggs. :) Have a happy Monday and a wonderful week ahead.

      Delete
  37. These look SO cool. Never heard of these before but what a very cool recipe. Lovely pics!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Natalie. I guess these tea eggs are far more popular in Asia countries. I hard find any places that sell them here in the U.S. so I have to make my own. ;)

      Delete
  38. Ohhh i'm so glad you posted this recipe :) it's one of my favourite types of 'egg dishes' hehe my dad will always buy them for me when I go back to HK ~ YUMMMM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Daisy. Yeah, they are my favorites as well. :) It's nice how some food can bring back so many wonderful memories. Hope you'll give this recipe a try soon. Take care.

      Delete
  39. I was reading about these just the other day in a cookbook and thought they were so interesting and lo and behold you posted another recipe! I love how your turned out! So beautiful with all the marbling. I love tea and all the spices and I am sure I would love these.

    Nazneen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Nazneen. What an coincident. :) I simply adore tea eggs, their flavors and their marbles. And yes, the spices are lovely infused into the eggs. Hope you'll give them a try soon.

      Delete
  40. Beautiful! This was the one thing my dad knew how to make well, except he'd always hard boil them. I love nothing more than a soft boiled egg so I'll definitely be trying your version. The Szechuan pepper salt looks great, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. Glad to know your family love tea eggs too. Yeah, I always prefer a soft boiled egg yolk. :) Hope you'll like these if you try the recipe.

      Delete
  41. Chinese Tea eggs are such fun to eat! I loved the marbled look in these. Your stepwise pictures are just great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Purabi. Glad you love these tea eggs. Wish you a happy Monday and a beautiful week ahead.

      Delete
  42. Mmm, these look so good! I can't eat eggs anymore because of my allergies, but I should try making these for my husband!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry about your egg allergies. If you make these for your husband, let me know how they turn out. Hope he'll enjoy them.

      Delete
  43. It's too late for Easter, but who needs Easter to serve such beautiful, delicious-looking eggs? I am a big egg consumer and always happy to learn new way to cook this marvellous ingredient, so thank you for the inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're so welcome. Yes, I make these tea eggs for snacks year round. :) Hope you'll like them too.

      Delete
  44. Lots of tea egg lovers iny family...so interesting to find out how it's made! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're so welcome, Monica. Hope you'll love this recipe. :)

      Delete
  45. Amy, thanks for explaining how to do these - I am going to give it a try - I never realised that the spice flavour came through - and I love Schzuan pepper - but can't spell it! Cheers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome, Carole. The flavor of the spices really get infused into the eggs. Thanks to those cracks and marbles. ;) Let me know how they turn out if you try them.

      Delete
  46. I honestly haven't tried Chinese Tea Eggs! It seems like a gorgeous & flavorful twist to regular boiled eggs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Tina. Glad you like these Chinese Tea Eggs. Oh, yeah, they taste better than regular boiled eggs for sure.

      Delete
  47. I so agree on the soft yolk - except if I'm making egg salad for sandwiches. These are beautiful, Amy! I would love to try making them and I just happen to have some Pu-erh tea in my pantry too :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. Let me know how they turn out if you try the recipe. :) Hope you'll like them as much as my family does. Happy Monday and have a wonderful week ahead.

      Delete
  48. These are so pretty! I have seen these around and always wondered how they were made. I'll have to give them a try now that you made it seem so doable, thanks Amy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Eva. :) These are actually very simple to prepare. Glad you like them. Let me know how they turn out if you try them. Have a wonderful week ahead.

      Delete
  49. Such beautiful eggs Amy, that I KNOW must taste amazing! Everything that I've ever read in your recipes have been inspirational to me.

    I would like to let you know that I have moved blog locations so that you can stop by again someday. "La Bella Vita Cucina" now. Just wanted to let you know since a lot of my readers were sort of lost in between the cracks of the move.

    Be well and thank you for all of your recipes,
    Roz

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Roz. Yes, I've been following your blog....hehe...to the new address as well. And I just subscribed by email so I don't miss your post. Your blog is just as inspiring. Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a wonderful week ahead.

      Delete
  50. Stunning! I love this variation and can't wait to try them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. Let me know how they turn out if you try. Have a beautiful week ahead.

      Delete
  51. I love the pattern on the eggs. Its beautiful! And the yolk looks so creamy and rich. Delicious!...lovely post Amy...danny

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Danny. Glad you like my Chinese Tea Eggs. Wish you a beautiful week ahead.

      Delete
  52. I love these marble-like patterns! How cute is that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Julia. Glad you like the marble patterns. :)

      Delete
  53. Just beautiful. Love your color scheme. Szechuan pepper salt is the kind of kick I crave.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Susan. Glad you like these tea eggs. :)

      Delete
  54. Hi Amy,
    I adore those spider web-like or marble on the eggs. Do you have any secret in making it? I tried your recipe but after I peeled the shell, they just have little spots on the egg white. But I notice that the marble stay on the inside of the shell. I guess the membrane has the marble but not on the egg. Please advise. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Hi Phoebe, first of all, thanks for trying the recipe. The key to make sure the marble patterns go onto the egg whites is to make sure you crack the egg shells well enough. Don't be afraid to crack them hard or even break a few little pieces here and there. That's the only way to ensure the tea marinade will go deep enough. Hope it'll work out for you next time. :) Happy cooking.

    ReplyDelete