Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs Recipes

Steps:

• Place the tea, cinnamon, star anise, five-spice, cloves, ginger, peppercorns, licorice, orange peel, rock sugar, dark soy sauce, and light soy sauce in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly tap the hard-cooked eggs to crack the shells all over. The soy sauce will penetrate the cracks, and color the egg white.
• Place the eggs in the simmering liquid, and cook for 30 minutes, then remove from the heat, and let the eggs stand in the liquid for 2 hours off the heat. After 2 hours, drain the eggs, chill, and peel.

Steps:

• Take the eggs out of the refrigerator to let them warm up a bit. (Very cold eggs can crack when they hit boiling water.)
• Combine the soy sauce, shaoxing wine, sugar, ginger, star anise, peppercorns and salt in a medium saucepan. Add 3 cups water and the tea bags, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a bare simmer while the eggs cook and cool.
• Bring a few inches of water in a large saucepan to a boil over high heat. Using a spoon, carefully and quickly add the eggs one at a time. Cook for 6 minutes for jammy yolks, 7 minutes for just-set yolks and 8 to 10 minutes for hard-boiled yolks. Pour the boiling water out of the saucepan, keeping the eggs back with a lid or spatula, then fill the saucepan with cold water from the tap. Let stand until the eggs are cool enough to handle, then drain.
• To create a marbled look, tap the eggs with the back of a spoon to create hairline fractures all over with some bigger cracks but without breaking off the shells. For solid-colored eggs, peel the eggs completely. Transfer the eggs to the soy sauce mixture. Remove from the heat. Cover the saucepan or transfer everything to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 7 days before peeling the eggs and eating. For the clearest design, be sure to peel the eggs without removing the fine membrane between the shells and eggs.

Steps:

• 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.