chinese snack: Tea egg

Tea egg is a typical Chinese savory snack commonly sold by street vendors or in night markets in most Chinese communities throughout the world.

Tea eggs are simply hard-boiled eggs that have been further stewed in a salted tea liquid. Other flavourings such as soy sauce and Chinese five-spice powder are often added as well. The eggs are actually boiled twice. After the first boiling, when the insides are hardened, the shell of each egg is lightly cracked. The eggs are then boiled for much longer duration in the black tea mixture for a second time, which allows the flavour of the tea to penetrate deep into the egg. The dark colour of the tea also stains through the cracks of the eggs creating a pattern on the peeled eggs that resembles the crazing of some ceramic glaze surfaces.

In the end, when the peel comes off, you should see regions of light and dark brown, with mid-brownish tone along the cracks of the peel. The yolk should have a thin greyish layer with the core being the usual yellow. As for flavor, it really depends on what tea you use (being the type and strength) and your variation of spices. Five-spice powder adds a savory, slightly salty tone to the white, and the tea should bring out the yolk's flavor.