Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs

Tea leaf eggs is a Chinese snack that is a casual dish served at various convenience stores and street carts in Asia. Tea leaf eggs are essentially a simple soy marinated egg that is easy to make and can last up to 3-4 days in the fridge. If you make a small batch at a time, this can be a fun and easy breakfast option that is convenient for kids!

Cooking Method

When I use to eat tea leaf eggs in Asia, it was usually stewed and warmed in the marinade all day, so the eggs are usually overcooked. But since I make tea leaf eggs at home now, I like to usually cook my eggs so that the egg yolk is a little runny. When cooking the eggs, I usually like to cook it up until the 7 minute mark. This cook time ensures a solid egg white and a slightly runny egg yolk.

Level: Easy 

Time: 15 minutes, overnight soak

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 2 tbsp Black tea leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 1/4 cups of Water

Instructions

1. Boil water in a pot on medium heat. Once the water boils, take the pot off the heat and use a spoon and lightly place your eggs in the pot one at a time. Once the eggs are all in, put the pot back on the heat and boil for 7 minutes. 
2. After about 7 minutes, drain out the hot water and place the eggs in a bowl with cold water. Let eggs sit for 10 minutes. 
3. In a pot, add in water, tea leaves, soy sauce, cinnamon stick, and star anise. Once water boils, let the mixture boil for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat. 
4. Use a spoon and light crack the eggs on all sides until there are small openings into the egg. Do not crack too hard and break the egg. 
5. After the mixture has cooled down, submerge the egg fully in liquid. I recommend using a tupperware or ziplock bag to make sure the egg is fully soaked in the mixture. 
6. Place eggs in the refrigerator and let it soak for at least 24 hours. After that, the eggs can be eaten and stored in the refrigerator for a few days. 

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