Tea Eggs
Tea Eggs is a home-style breakfast recipe at difficulty 3/5 (Intermediate), about 193 kcal. This traditional snack is rich in tea aroma and savory flavor, packed with high-. Ingredients and step-by-step instructions are below, with notes for home cooking.
3 / 5
★★★☆☆
193 kcal
Ingredients
- Eggs
- Star anise
- Bay leaf
- Cassia bark
- Fennel
- Rock sugar
- Black tea
- Light soy sauce
- Dark soy sauce
- Salt
Steps
- Boil the eggs in cold water over high heat for about 8 minutes (adjust based on your pot).
- Remove the eggs and rinse them in cold water.
- Bang or clash the eggs against each other gently to crack the shells.
- Place the eggs in a pot with the star anise, bay leaf, cassia bark, fennel, rock sugar, black tea, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and salt.
- Add water until it covers the eggs.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn down to medium-low heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- After simmering for 15 minutes over medium heat, remove the used spices. Soaking the eggs for a while longer will improve the texture.
Notes
This traditional snack is rich in tea aroma and savory flavor, packed with high-quality protein. It’s a quick, nutritious breakfast option. The instructions are clear and the difficulty is moderate. Beginners should pay attention to the heat control and spice ratio. It takes about 30 minutes to complete and makes enough food for 2–3 people, making it suitable for a leisurely weekend.
Estimated cooking difficulty: ★★★
Estimated calories: 193 kcal
Calculations:
- Eggs: 400g (approx. 8 pieces)
- Star anise: 4g (approx. 2 pieces)
- Bay leaf: 0.5-1g (approx. 2 pieces)
- Cassia bark: 3g (1 small piece)
- Fennel: 5g
- Rock sugar: 15g
- Black tea: 20g
- Light soy sauce: 15g
- Dark soy sauce: 25g
- Salt: 3g
Use the above conditions to calculate the ratio of raw materials planned for use.
- Rinsing eggs in cold water creates a gap between the egg and the shell.
- Salt can be added or omitted according to personal taste.
- If you don't have all these ingredients, you can buy a ready-made spiced ingredient bag.
- In the conventional method, the brine penetrates slowly, and the internal flavor tends to be bland. To infuse faster and make the cross-section look better: Peel the eggs → Cut 3–11 slits on the side of the white (in an up-down criss-cross direction, close to the yolk, but don't cut too deep or the yolk will spill) → Place in a small container, brine covering the eggs → Soak for over 2 days.
If you follow this guide's process and encounter problems or areas for improvement, please open an Issue or Pull Request.