Chinese Tea Eggs are one of the cheapest snacks you can buy in Taiwan. Almost all the convenience stores sell tea eggs. It’s as cheap as 25 cents per egg and it’s super delicious. In my childhood memory, I would search around the streets and alleys to find enough lost coins for me to buy one tea egg, definitely happiest moment in my life at that time! It’s one of the signature Taiwanese snacks and today we are going to find out how to make it!
Ingredient
12 eggs
4 cups of water
½ cups of soy sauce
1 Tsp of salt
1 Tbsp of sugar
2 star anise
2 black tea tea bags
Prepare a pot of cold water. Put the egg in the cold water. bring the water to boil at high heat and boil for 20 min. Since we put the eggs in when it’s still cold. The temperature change is not as drastic. This will help prevent egg shells from cracking due to temperature change.
Once the eggs have cooled down. Take a spoon to crack those eggs. It should only take 3 to 4 hits per eggs. Having the shells staying on eggs creates beautiful marble-like pattern after stewing. After cracking them, transfer your eggs to another pot.
Add all ingredient to the pot and bring it to boil. Simmer for 20 min. Here is the secret to better flavor: remove from heat for another 20 min, and then bring to boil for another 20 min. The change of temperature will help the flavor go into the eggs without overcooking. Pro Tip: If you have enough time, have the eggs bathe in the stew overnight in the refrigerator to have more flavor.
Enjoy!
- 12 eggs
- 4 cups of water
- ½ cups of soy sauce
- 1 Tsp of salt
- 1 Tbsp of sugar
- 2 star anise
- 2 black tea tea bags
- Prepare a pot of cold water, add eggs
- bring to boil
- boil at low heat for 8 min
- Remove the eggs from the pot. Cool down to temperature that can handle with hands
- Take a spoon. Gently crack eggs
- Prepare the stew by adding water, soy sauce, sugar, salt, star anise and black tea tea bags
- Add the eggs to the stew, bring the stew to boil and cook for 20 min
- Turn off the heat and let the heat cook for 20 min
- Turn on the heat and boil for another 20 min
- (optional) If you are not too picky. You can cook at low heat or use slow cooker to cook 60 min.
A must have staple of life (and very key indicator of inflation when the price increases once every few years). I love the cracked and drier ones usually at the top. I highly recommend 淑所長茶葉蛋 (I going to say if you’re in 臺南新化, but I found from their website that you can find locations around the island). Not sure if I can post the link, so just Google it 😁