It's so much fun making Chinese Tea Eggs! They're awesome, unique looking hard boiled eggs, and they're so delicious! Lovely mixed into rice, ramen or a stir-fry, they're also fabulous on their own.
Easter eggs?
Well traditional Easter eggs they're not . . . but how cool would these eggs be on your Easter table?
Both are beautiful and delicious, so I say make the two of them and totally wow your guests.
What are Chinese Chinese Tea Eggs?
- Tea eggs are basically hard-boiled eggs infused with the flavors of Chinese tea, spices, soy sauce and sometimes citrus.
- All around China, these marbled Tea Eggs are a common, inexpensive snack sold on the street and in open air markets in the evenings.
They are super tasty on their own and are also fantastic mixed into a rice, ramen, or a stir-fry.
My recipe was created based on my own research, and while they're not authentic, I think they might be quite reminiscent of the real thing. It's my (fun) idea to serve them on Easter -- again, not authentic.
How to Make Chinese Chinese Tea Eggs
Here's how the egg transforms . . .
After the egg is hard boiled and gently cracked, it steeps in a gorgeous aromatic blend of ingredients.
The spices, soy sauce and other ingredients work both their beauty and their flavor into the egg.
And your home will fill with the scents of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, Sichuan pepper, and star anise.
You neighbors might even be able to catch some of the aroma.
After a few hours, when you peel the egg it will amaze you with its beauty.
The inside of the shell is equally as beautiful.
Aren't they stunning! And, they tastes so, so good!
How to Serve Them
As I mentioned, these are delicious sliced in ramen, rice dishes or a stir-fry. They are also outstanding simply on their own as a snack.
And how fun would these be to mix things up little at an Easter brunch!?
I hope you enjoy making and eating these Chinese Tea Eggs as much as I do.
Chinese Tea Eggs
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 2 individual black tea bags
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh tangerine or orange juice
- 1½ tablespoons Chinese Five Spice blend (in powder form, use 1 tablespoon)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Hard boil the eggs. Add the eggs to a pot where they all fit snugly. Cover the eggs with water, to about 2 inches above them. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the eggs carefully with a slotted spoon or small strainer, adding them to a bowl as you go. (Leave the water in the pot!)
- Cool. Run cold water over the eggs until they are cool enough to handle.
- Tap shells to lightly. Use the back of a small spoon to tap all around each egg gently. You want to make slight cracks all over the shell, being careful not to peel any off. Do not remove any of the shell.n their crackled state, return the eggs to the pot.
- Make tea mixture. Open the tea bags and empty them into a small bowl. Then add all of the remaining ingredients and mix to blend.
- Simmer eggs with tea mixture. Pour the tea mixture into the water with the eggs, and bring to a strong simmer. Let the eggs simmer for about 10 minutes, then turn the heat to the lowest setting, cover and simmer very gently for 1½ hours.
- Continue to steep. Keep the lid on the pot, remove it from the stove and let the eggs continue to steep for up to 4 hours. (The longer they remain in the pot, the deeper the color will become.)
- Peel/refrigerate. You can either peel and serve the eggs immediately or store them in the fridge for up to 4 days in a tightly covered container.
NOTES
NUTRITION
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Colette
How clever.
The kids would love to make these!
Nancy Rose Eisman
You really have an artist's eye for capturing the beauty in food, and flowers too.
valentina
Nancy, thank you so much! Means a lot. xo
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
Wonderful!
valentina
Thank you, Dorothy!
April
Wow these are some gorgeous eggs. Work of art!
valentina
Thanks so much, April! 🙂
Sarah
This is SUCH a cool idea! I'm so curious what the taste is like!
valentina
Thanks Sarah. They're delicious! Not too strong a flavor -- subtly spiced. 🙂
sue|theviewfromgreatisland
What a fun post, I've seen these and wondered how they were done!
Nellie
These are SO pretty and SO fun! I always wondered how those beautiful marks got on the marbled tea eggs! I'll try this for sure!
valentina
Thanks Nellie. I'd always wondered too. I was surprised as to how easy it was once I tried. 🙂
Dana
These are stunning! Like someone else said--total works of art!
valentina
Aww, thanks Dana. 🙂