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Chinese Tea Eggs

Beautiful marbled eggs flavored with tea, soy sauce, and spices, popular in Chinese cuisine.

chinese cuisinetea eggsmarbled eggsasian cuisinesnack

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

2 hrs

Servings

6
Chinese Tea Eggs

Ingredients

  • 6 large eggs
  • 2 black tea bags
  • 1 /4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 star anise pods
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
  • 2 strips orange peel
  • Water for boiling

Recommended Tools

  • Chinese Tea and Spice Set

    Traditional spices for authentic tea eggs

    $29.99View on Amazon

Instructions

  1. 1
    Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil.
  2. 2
    Reduce heat and simmer for 7 minutes.
  3. 3
    Remove eggs and place in ice water bath.
  4. 4
    Once cool, gently crack the eggshells all over but do not peel.
  5. 5
    In the same pot, combine 4 cups water, tea bags, both soy sauces, and all spices.
  6. 6
    Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
  7. 7
    Add the cracked eggs back to the pot.
  8. 8
    Simmer for 2-3 hours, longer for stronger flavor.
  9. 9
    Remove eggs, peel, and serve warm or cold.

Pro Tip

The longer you let the eggs simmer in the tea mixture, the more intense the flavor and marbling pattern will be.

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