As the Chinese celebrate the year of goat (or sheep), I'm joining in on the fun. There are certain dishes that are typical for the event, such as dumplings, long noodles, oranges, and sweets. This year, I am adding tea eggs to the list.
Tea eggs are simply boiled eggs that are cracked and steeped in a mixture of tea, soy, and spices. Once the eggs are peeled, the whites are stained into a beautiful marble pattern. You can eat them as-is or serve them alongside stir-fried noodles or rice. You can also turn them into deviled eggs. Boiled eggs have never tasted so good!
Tea-Marbled eggs
12 hard-boiled eggs
¾ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
5 cups water
3 tablespoons loose-leaf Lapsang Souchong *
4 whole star anise
1 cinnamon stick
Gently tap the eggs with the back of a spoon until the shells crack all over, set aside.
In a shallow saucepan, bring the rest of the ingredients to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the cracked eggs. Make sure that the eggs are fully immersed into the liquid. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove pan from heat, uncover, and let the eggs cool in the liquid. Once cool, chill the eggs in the refrigerator for at least two hours or up to two days. The longer you let the eggs sit in the liquid, the more vibrant marbling and more depth of flavor you will have. When ready to serve, remove the eggs from the liquid and peel. Cut in half or quarters.
*Souchong is a very lightly oxidized tea, so it has smokiness to it. Feel free to experiment eith other strong black teas for this recipe.
