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How to Make Chinese Tea Eggs (Chayedan, 茶叶蛋)

Author: Kathy Yuan | The Mala Market | Inspiration & Ingredients for Sichuan Cooking

Ingredients

  • 8 medium eggs, washed and rinsed, room temperature *or one layer's worth, depending on size of pot
  • ½ teaspoon table salt
  • 2 servings black (Chinese red) tea approx. 2 teabags/2 teaspoons loose tea
  • 10 whole red huajiao (Sichuan pepper)
  • 1 slice dried sand ginger
  • 1 dried red chili, chopped, deseeded
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ stick guipi (cassia bark)
  • 4-5 lumps rock sugar or ½ tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoon light soy sauce (Zhongba preferred)
  • ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce (Zhongba preferred)
  • tablespoons Shaoxing wine or other liaojiu (rice cooking wine) or baijiu
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste depends on amount of water added, adjust as needed
  • scant ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 4-5 pieces fresh ginger, peeled, thinly sliced

Instructions

  • Select a pot that will hold as many eggs as you wish to cook in one roomy layer. Bring enough water to boil with ½ teaspoon of table salt, however much is sufficient to cover the layer of eggs in your pot. The salt will help plug any cracks if a shell breaks by coagulating the egg whites. Once boiling, turn the heat low and gently add the room temperature eggs. Cold eggs are more likely to crack. Simmer gently, uncovered, about 5 minutes (until the egg whites are set).
    Meanwhile, prepare a bowl of cold tap water. Sink the cooked eggs into the cold water (after transferring the eggs, take note of where the water level is in the pot for later). Empty the pot. Set aside while you prepare the marinade.
  • Combine the red huajiao, chopped dried chili, dried sand ginger, star anise, bay leaf and cassia bark in a small bowl. Soak in just enough water to cover. Scrub lightly to clean any debris and set aside.
    In a second bowl, combine the rock sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice cooking wine, sea salt and ground white pepper.
  • Tap the cooled eggs lightly all over with the back of a spoon or wooden handle to gently shatter the shells. You want to break the outer hard shell while keeping the inner membrane intact. Less is more!
  • In the empty pot, bring enough water to roughly cover the eggs to a boil (where the level of the water was after transferring the eggs previously).
    Return cracked eggs to hot water. Drain the soaked spices and add them to the pot, along with sauce mixture and tea. Stir and test the saltiness (it should taste salty). Simmer, covered, over low-medium heat for 15 minutes. The longer you cook the eggs, the deeper the colors and flavor will be. Many people simmer up to 30 minutes for the best flavor.
  • Turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature, lid on. The flavor infuses better when warm, do not chill immediately. Strain the liquid to remove spices. Transfer eggs with the strained marinating liquid into a covered bowl (or keep them in the pot) to soak overnight in the fridge, minimum 24 hours, before enjoying. Eggs will keep up to 5-7 days.
    Serve cool, or microwave or steam to serve warm, with the original braising liquid spooned over it. You can also reduce some of the liquid into a syrupy consistency for more flavor.
    Soaked eggs can be stored in the marinating liquid for 2-3 days. I like to store the liquid separately after 2-3 days. The strained braising liquid can be frozen and reused several times.

Notes

If you forgot to set the eggs out to warm up, sit them in a bowl of warm-hot water while the water boils, until they are lukewarm to the touch.
If you want soft-boiled eggs with sufficient tea-egg flavor, shell the entire egg after boiling to your own desired doneness, instead of fracturing partway through. Bring the marinade to a boil on its own for a couple minutes to combine the tea and soy flavors (without the eggs), then turn off the heat and add the shelled soft-boiled eggs. Soak them shell-off in the marinade at least 24 hours, so they take up flavor overnight.