← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 8 large eggs, at room temperature
• 750 ml Water
• 4 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Dark soy sauce
• 2 black tea bags (or 2 tbsp loose black tea)
• 2 Star anise
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 2 Bay leaves
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt

Method

1. Bring the water, both soy sauces, spices, sugar and salt to the boil in a small pan, then simmer for 10 min. Add the tea, turn off the heat and let it cool.
2. Meanwhile, lower the eggs into a pan of boiling water and simmer for 8 min. Move them into cold water until cool enough to handle.
3. Tap each egg all over with the back of a spoon so the shell is covered in fine cracks but stays on the egg.
4. Put the cracked eggs in the cooled tea mixture, bring back to a gentle simmer for 5 min, then cool and transfer to a container so the eggs are submerged.
5. Chill for at least 12 hours, or up to 2 days, turning them occasionally. Peel to reveal the marbled pattern and eat cold or warmed in the liquid.

Tips

• The longer they soak, the darker the pattern and stronger the flavour. Keep them in the fridge and eat within 3 days.
• Soy sauce contains wheat; use tamari for a gluten-free batch.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Omnivore's Cookbook The Woks of Life