Hiking in the U.S. usually means bringing along a bag of trail mix for hearty fuel. In China, tea eggs seem to be the substitute. Two weekends ago, I went to Badachu in the outskirts of Beijing with a group of Chinese friends. It’s a scenic area with 8 different Buddhist temples and monasteries set into a mountain, and reaching them means more hiking that I had done since Colorado.
For lunch, in addition to sandwiches from home, we bought tea eggs from an snack vendor along the trail. My worries that eggs would be too heavy to eat during strenuous hiking vanished as I bounced along up, up, up the Western Hills after lunch. The next day my body would be cursing me, but the tea eggs seemed as effective as any nature store granola mix.
(And now I can’t get the “Gaston Song” from Beauty and the Beast out of my head, the part about eating 5 dozen eggs every morning to become strong. Tea eggs are good, but don’t eat 5 dozen in one sitting.)
Chinese marbled tea eggs, stewed in a black tea/soy sauce/spice blend, are a ubiquitous and cheap snack sold all around China in snack stands and convenience stores. They’re also easy to make at home. Getting the marbling effect is as simple as cracking the egg once it’s partially cooked. You can use any black tea, though I use Pu’er for an earthier taste. (Green tea is too astringent to use for tea eggs.) The eggs can be simmered for 1 to 3 hours; longer simmering means a more intense flavor and color.
Once the eggs are cooked, you can eat them hot or cold as a snack. I’ve made lazy meals out of just 2 eggs over ramen and oyster sauce, or chopped up eggs over fried rice. Or serve them as appetizers at a party, cut in half with caviar on top. Or even take them on your next hiking trip.
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Other snacks and appetizers:
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Chinese Marbled Tea Eggs – 茶叶蛋 （cháyèdàn)
6 medium to large
2 tablespoons or 2 tea bags of black tea or Pu’erh
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
4 pieces star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorn (optional)
2 to 3 strips dried mandarin peel (optional)
Put eggs in a medium-sized pot with enough water to cover the eggs. Bring water to boil, then lower heat to simmer for 3 minutes. Remove eggs from heat and allow them to cool a bit before handling (running them under cold water does the trick quickly.) Take the back of a knife and crack eggs evenly all around.
Return eggs to the pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring liquid to boil again, then simmer for 1 to 3 hours, longer for a more intense flavor and color, adding water if level gets too low. Remove from heat, and serve as a snack or addition to rice or noodles.
{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }
These are insanely beautiful. I never saw many of the cracked ones growing up in Hong Kong, usually they were uniformly coloured.
Why do they have to be partially cooked (as opposed to fully boiled) when you crack them? Is it because they are more porous at that stage?
I’ve been checking out your page for a bit now, and I love it. I want to thank you for posting all these great recipes, and writing about Beijing. I spent some time there a few years back and I miss it! Reading about your experiences on this blog brings back so many fond memories… like tea eggs. My mom used to make these growing up, but I never considered doing it myself. I’ll definitely be doing so now.
There are other recipes that call for the egg to be fully hard boiled before you crack them, but my family and I have always cracked them when they’re about 3/4 of the way cooked. I don’t know the exact reason, but my guess is the same as yours, that the eggs are more porous, thus allowing flavor to seep into the egg rather than just stay on the surface.
1) I love these, I noticed that they sell them in convenience stores when I went to Taiwan! Every time I make them at home the tea starts getting to bitter though…
2) I’ve been lurking on your blog via tastespotting for a while now, but just now noticed your name. My name is Diana Kwan. Eerie…
Beautiful!
Wow, that is eerie. I thought my name was rather unusual, at least in the U.S.
You have such great recipes that bring back so many childhood memories! I’m totally inspired. As I’m typing, my apt is filled with the aroma of these simmering cha yip dans. I’m on my second hour. I hope I’m patient enough to wait another hour. Thank you! :)
I love how thry turned out! Beautiful shots!
I’m gonna make me some of these today. Let you know how it goes…
that combination of soy and star anise is so heady.
Wow! I fell in love with the picture and decided to give the recipe a try. So wonderful, and my house smells amazing now.
One question though… are you supposed to simmer the eggs with the lid on or off?
Now I need to try more recipes on this site.
Sarah – I simmer with the lid off. Soy sauce liquids can spill over too easily, resulting in a big mess. Better to play it safe. :)
Made similar tea eggs and uploaded to my newly launched food blog. I seldom drink tea and therefore tried a version that comes without tea and the flavor is still good enough (at least to me). To share with you, here is the link: http://www.tastehongkong.com/recipes/tea-eggs
I tried this recipe out but didn’t get it quite right somehow. I left the eggs to simmer in the spice mixture for over two hours hoping for a nice dark tint and a very flavorful egg. When I cracked my first egg open, the membrane surrounding the egg was gorgeous. But when I peeling the rest of the shell and the membrane off, all of that tinting came off too. The edible part of the egg was pretty much white and tasted like a slightly-seasoned egg rather than the burst of flavor I expected after simmering it for so long. Is the problem that I didn’t simmer it long enough? Are some egg shells/membranes thicker than others? Also, some of the eggs’ outer shells were considerably darker than others. Not sure how that happened since they were all sitting in the same liquid, but does that have something to do with it? I appreciate any help!
Michael – The problem may be with a soy sauce that is too light, or a low soy sauce to water ratio. If I use dark soy sauce, the eggs get color in a little over an hour; if I use light soy sauce, the eggs may need to sit for over 2 hours. Also, I always crack the eggs all the way around so the shell resembles little pieces precariously covering the egg. Crack the egg enough and even thick membranes will tear, allowing the liquid to seap through.
I checked my soy sauce and it was a light soy, so I doubled (maybe tripled) up on it. The eggs came out much darker and the flavor was better this time. Still one issue – the eggs I used to eat in Taiwan were brown all the way through while the eggs I make at home are basically only stained on the outside. The ones I had in Taiwan were usually those found at 7-11, which I assume had been soaking for days if not weeks. It it all just a matter of time or do you have any suggestions for penetrating deeper? I feel like vinegar would help penetrate deeper into the egg, but that would also probably ruin the flavor.
I love tea eggs. i made them only recently as part of a Chinese New Year feast. Do the yolks always get a dark tinge around them or did I cook mine too long?
When I lived in Taiwan we would always get tea eggs at a 7-11 after going out to the bars on the weekends. One time one of my roommates made tea eggs at our apartment and my German roommate came home and declared “it smells like a 7-11 in here!”
I love tea eggs (though all my friends are confused until I mention that they’re also with soy sauce …) and your recipe is AMAZING. I actually substituted five spice powder for the star anise & cinnamon stick and they turned out delicious. Thanks! :) Your blog is fantastic.
Hello!
Thank you for this recipe, I used it for a Chinese dinner party I am hosting this evening. I didn’t have enough black tea, so I used some old Earl Grey. I tried one of the eggs and it wasn’t weird. I think that has more to do with the amount of salt, soy sauce and spices that I put in though.
Best, Peko
These sound delicious, cannot wait to try them!
How to cook century egg?
A personal favorite is to add a slab of pork to the broth along with the eggs in the 1-3 hour simmer. Chicken is okay but dry out if you leave it too long. The end creation a nice flavorful slab or pork, side dish of eggs add a bowl of freshly cooked rice and if you would like, a teaspoon or two of the broth over the rice as well!
Smart way to make a complete dinner!
I’m wondering how long tea eggs last? Can they be cooked and then left in the fridge for a few weeks, in a jar? Or, is there a recipe that could convert the tea egg in to a longer lasting snack that could be kept like pickles, in the fridge??
I usually keep them for up to a week before tossing.
I loved these tea eggs. They will be an appetizer at our Super Bowl party.
Thanks! You know, I never thought that these could be good for Super Bowl appetizers, but they would be a good break from buffalo wings. Now you have me thinking of Oscar party apps…
I too saw the beautiful pictures and had to try your recipe. For the soy/tea simmering stage, is it ONLY the 1/2 c soy/tea/spices that you simmer in? Or do you still have the water in the pot from the egg boiling step?
I simmered in just the 1/2 c soy (I even had dark soy) so the level of liquid was very low. But I heard you don’t need a lot, that you could just keep spooning the sauce over the eggs for full coverage. But then my family said it was too salty (besides the fact that my eggs were horribly overdone and shriveled!). So now I’m wondering if I was supposed to keep the water that the eggs were initially boiled in. The last time I did that (with a different recipe and regular soy though), my family complained the eggs were too bland.
Maybe my family is just a bunch of complainers! ;-) Any help appreciated. I’m supposed to make a bunch of these for a school function in two weeks and am determined to make it right!
the eggs that are one-color only are made using a different method, cooking the eggs in the sauces left over from making cantonese bbq ribs and briskets.
lol the longer u soak the tea leaves the more bitter it becomes, especially if u use those really medicinal type. but i think it is only for black tea, i never had the problem with red tea or green tea :D
Are the Star anises necessary? We have just run out!
They aren’t absolutely necessary, but they do add a great anise aroma to the simmering liquid, and consequently the eggs. You can try it without the star anise, and later try it again when you have star anise on hand.
did you get any suggestions of how not to have the eggs
get bitter in the process
I’ve found that green tea leaves are more problematic with making the liquid bitter than black tea leaves. You can avoid bitterness with any type of tea leaves by not soaking the eggs for two long. Two to three hours is a safe bet; you can have a deep marbling effect without bitterness, whether you boil the eggs for the full amount of time or boil them for a short period, then remove from the heat leave them to soak in the hot liquid.
I went to China 2 years ago for a month and always regretted not trying these beautiful eggs that always smelled so great when I walked past the little restaurants. Now I’ve made my own, they’re great and my house smells of China! I’m going to boil them for longer next time, but the subtle flavour was gorgeous. Thank you!
I always thought this was because boiling them completely first would lead to them being overcooked and rubbery in the “steeping” stage.
The eggs turn out to be beautiful to eat. It’s an interesting way to cook eggs that I have never thought of! Nice!
I think I should skip the salt next time as the soy sauce I used was already salty enough.or even by not pre cracking the eggs.overall great recipe and it made me wife salivate :)
Great recipe!!
im consider to cook 12 eggs instead of 6, should i double the recipe?
thanks :)
Kyo – You can double the soy sauce but everything else is okay as-is. The aromatics are pretty strong already, and definitely enough for 12 eggs. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the recipe! I wanted to make some tea eggs for egg salad sandwiches and for snacking. When I lived in China, the tea-egg lady would come call through my keyhole if I didn’t come out right away when she was making her rounds. I ate a lot of tea eggs.
aztec civilization,
Thanks for sharing; very interesting process and result.
I boiled mine for 3 hours, but did not use the peel. I have photographs here of the result:
http://www.visualrealia.com/content/茶叶蛋-chinese-tea-eggs
Andy
I tasted 1 egg after 1 hour and 2 hours. After 1 hour, just as Michael mentioned, the patterns on the eggs were very lightly colored when you peeled off the membrane, but after 2 hours the patterns were significantly darker. Taste wise I would say that the flavors were a little too subtle at the 1 hour mark but some people might prefer to stop at the 2 hour mark as the egg had a nice subtle but strong enough flavor at this point. It’s all a matter of taste after this.
I might add that I removed the tea bags after the 2 hour mark and continued to boil them for another hour. After another hour, I turned off the heat and let them cool inside the vat to let the flavors and color penetrate into the eggs as the temperature cooled.
The recipe works just fine as it is imho.
(I used PG tips tea bags and fresh orange peel.)
I was first alerted to this recipe by my friend in Taiwan who makes these by the dozens to give away to friends and family. Well, I made my first batch and let me tell you the result was WONDERFUL!! So thank you! I had to make a couple of changes as I had no mandarins or star anise, so I used orange peel and minced fresh ginger. I loved the flavor combination, and I will try star anise next time. I definitely recommend adding either orange or mandarin orange peels as this created a lovely flavor dimension to the brine and the eggs. As expected for such a long simmering time, the yolk did turn a bit grayish, is that the result you get too? It didn’t bother me one bit in flavor or aesthetics, but may distract some people from the overall beautiful, rich color and patterning of the egg whites. I don’t think there is anyway to avoid it, is there? No biggy…I will definitely make this again and again! Thanks again.
Nicole in WA
The eggs look delicious! I just finished, can’t wait to taste! I was wondering if the tea mixture can be kept in the fridge or freezer to be used again? It seems like a big waste to throw it away.
I’ve refrigerated the tea mixture for 2 or 3 days before, then just reboiled it. I’ve never tried freezing it though. If you do freeze the liquid let me know how it turns out. Hope you enjoy the eggs!