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Chinese Tea Eggs

Savoring Spoon
Easy street-style tea eggs right in our own kitchen!
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 6 eggs

Ingredients
  

  • 6 eggs
  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce not light
  • 2 teaspoons salt - 1 for boiling 1 for the sauce (see below)
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 2 black tea bags
  • 4 pieces of star anise
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 3 strips dried orange/mandarin/tangerine peel
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black peppercorns

Instructions
 

  • Put all 6 eggs in a pot and cover with water about 1 inch above the eggs. Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Heat and let boil for 2 minutes, then remove from stove. The salt will help the eggs crack easier.
  • Remove eggs from boiling water using a slotted spoon, and place eggs in a bowl of cold water. Let cool 3 minutes.
  • While eggs cool, add the rest of the ingredients to the hot water you were boiling eggs in. Stir and set aside.
  • After eggs are cool enough to touch (about 3 minutes in the cold water), pick up an egg and hit it with the back of a spoon to crack the shell. Small pieces of flaked shell may fly off, that is okay.
  • Repeat with the remainder of the eggs. Set eggs in the water with sauce after you finish tapping each one.
  • Heat the pot of eggs and sauce on medium heat to bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer (low heat) and simmer for 3 hours to let the flavor soak in through the cracks in the shell.
  • Let eggs chill in the fridge overnight, sitting in the sauce they simmered in.
  • Peel eggs and serve the next day!