Tea egg is basically a Chinese snack that is sold in night markets and by street venders not just in China but in Chinese communities spread across the world. As per most Tea egg recipes the process as to how to make Tea egg is relatively simple. The main ingredients used are soy sauce, black tea leaves and spices apart from eggs. Tea egg is considered incomplete without the use of Chinese five spice powder, which contains star anise, ground cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds and peppercorns. These are combined together to make this snack in a short duration of time. Tea egg is a dish that is extensively served as a snack and is considered to be one of the most popular dishes that have come from China.
Tea eggs refer to popular Chinese snack item which is prepared by staining the regular eggs with spices, soy sauce and tea leaves. Tea eggs are sold across the night markets of China. The dish is mostly favored over other street foods because it is cheap, delicious and flavorsome. Unlike the regular eggs the tea eggs are provided with marble effect by hard boiling them in soy sauce, tea leaves and a blend of five spices. Another great thing is that these eggs can be eaten cold or hot as per the taste preferences of an individual. Normally black tea is used for the snack preparation because green tea is astringent than its black counterpart. The tea eggs are variously known as Chinese marbled eggs or Chayedan in Chinese. The snack is also popularly savored in neighboring Taiwan and Hong Kong too.
Origin of Tea eggs
Essentially of Chinese origin, the details of its first preparation are not clear, but the dish gained popularity within a short time span. The dish was introduced to the countries where the Chinese population migrated in large numbers.
Tea Eggs Recipe- Ingredients
Egg is the common ingredient in the recipe and its innumerous variants. The other ingredients used in the recipe may vary according to an individual’s taste preferences. Ingredients like soy sauce, star anise, black tea, cinnamon stick, sugar, and Siachin peppercorn are necessary for the preparation of dish. Sometimes, five spice powder prepared from spices like fennel, cloves, cinnamon stick, star anise and Siachin peppercorn is also used in the preparation. As said before, the black tea is used for preparing the dish but some recipe variations suggest against it and are still called as tea eggs.
Tea Eggs Recipe- Preparation
Following the requirements of the recipe, tea eggs are prepared by hard boiling eggs in water. After boiling, the eggs are run under cold water and cracks are made in them at two or three places. The eggs are returned to the same container of hot water and the remaining ingredients are added one by one. The mixture is once again boiled and simmered for long time. The eggs are left in the spicy solution for about 5-10 hours or sometimes overnight too. The eggs that stayed in water for long time will have more flavorful and marbled texture.
Eating and Serving Tea Eggs
The tea eggs are either eaten alone or they are served with noodles or rice.