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Looking for something to take along to the Easter brunch we were invited to, I hit upon Chinese tea eggs.

Ingredients: Lapsang souchong, eggs, dark soy, five-spice powder, salt, star anise, peppercorns, cinnamon and orange peel. And eggs, of course.

Hard-cook the eggs, cool, and crack lightly with a spoon or another egg. Place in the pot with the other ingredients and simmer. The cooking time is variable depending on your desired depth of color and flavor. I made 3-hour eggs, but did not let them soak overnight. I think I might do that next time. These turned out noticeably but delicately flavored.

If you have extra hard-boiled eggs left from Easter, I don't see why you couldn't make these with dyed eggs. I gather you can make them in a slow cooker, but I haven't tried that.





Marbled Chinese tea eggs
Cha ye dan

8 to 24 medium or large eggs, hard cooked
1/2 cup dark soy sauce
4 tablespoons kosher salt
4 pieces star anise, broken up
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
2 tablespoons black tea leaves, preferably lapsang souchong
1 teaspoon peppercorns
2 to 3 strips strip orange zest
1 stick cinnamon

Try not to use very fresh eggs or they will be hard to peel. To hard cook the eggs, place in a pot, cover with water and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot, remove from the heat, and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain off the hot water and cool the eggs under cold running water. This step can be done a day or two ahead, if you like.

Using the back of a spoon or another egg, gently crack the egg shells, until they're crazed.

Return the eggs to the pan, add water to barely cover and then the remaining ingredients. Bring to simmering, reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 to 3 hours, depending on the depth of color and flavor desired.

Remove from the heat. For strongest color and flavor, let the eggs cool in the liquid and refrigerate for several hours or overnight before draining and rinsing. Store the eggs in their shells in a covered container in the refrigerator. Peel and eat. 8 to 24 eggs.

That egg looks beautiful! Looks like fun too.

-Laura

For my tea eggs, I usually keep it a bit simpler -- black tea, soy sauce, and star anise. However, another way to make it simpler is check your local Chinese grocery store for packages of "tea egg spice." When I went to Tian Lai in search of star anise, last time I made tea eggs, I found two or three different brands of prepackaged tea egg spices.

Those are just beautiful, LAZ! We usually do quail eggs for big family gatherings, and I couldn't conveniently get my hands on them this year - wish I'd thought of that! Next time...

The pepper and orange zest really add something, I think. Next time, I'm going to add even more orange.

I've also noticed that the flavor improves with a day or two in the fridge, probably because of cooking liquid trapped under the shell.

I came across a note that said you could strain and freeze the cooking liquid for reuse. I don't have enough freezer space for that, but I can imagine it getting more concentrated and flavorful with each use.