Chinese Marbled Tea Egg
This Marbled Tea Egg recipe serves up eggs with a beautiful marbled surface. They are simmered in a savory liquid with star anise, cinnamon sticks, Sichuan peppercorns, and black tea until soaked with the flavors of the spices and a refreshing tea fragrance. They look beautiful and taste divine!
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 45 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 6 eggs
- 3/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 star anise
- 2 tablespoons black tea (or 2 tea bags)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorn (optional)
- 2 strips dried tangerine or mandarin orange peel (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil, enough to cover the eggs by an inch..
- 2
Remove eggs from the fridge to bring down in temperature a bit while the water comes to a boil.
- 3
Once the water is boiling, gently and slowly lower the eggs into the water. Set a timer for 10 minutes for a medium-hard boil.
- 4
Remove the eggs (leaving the water in the pot) and let cool under running water.
- 5
Using the back of a teaspoon, gently tap the eggshell to crack the shell all over. The more you tap, the more intricate the design. Do this with a delicate hand to keep the shell intact.
- 6
To the same pot with the boiling water, return the eggs and add the remaining ingredients.
- 7
Bring the mixture to a boil and immediately turn the heat to low.
- 8
Simmer for 40 minutes, cover with lid, and let eggs steep for a few hours to overnight.
- 9
The longer you steep, the more flavorful and deeply marbled the tea eggs will be.
- 10
I like to steep for 5 hours, but my mom prefers overnight!