For those of you out there giving up things for Lent – at the very least Easter is on the mind. That day you can finally drink soda or eat cake again, or even just the Holiday. With rabbits and peeps and most importantly, awesomely dyed eggs. Being of the Christian persuasion or not the Chinese Marbled Tea Egg is something to try. Just looking at pictures of it – you don’t think it’s a hard boiled egg but actually a work of art.
They are actually beautiful and whatever the occasion – using tea to make art, even if you’re going to eat it, is a worthy cause. This is a recipe via Steamy Kitchen for these masterpieces:
What You’ll Need:
3/4 cup soy sauce
2 star anise
2 tablespoons black tea (or 2 tea bags)
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorn (optional)
2 strips dried tangerine or mandarin orange peel (optional)
How to make:
- Gently place the eggs in a medium pot and fill with water to cover the eggs by 1-inch. Bring the pot to a boil, lower the heat and let simmer for 3 minutes.
- Remove the eggs ,leaving the water in the pot, and let cool under running cool water.
- Using the back of the teaspoon, gently tap the eggshell to crack the shell all over. The more you tap, the more intricate the design. Do this with a delicate hand to keep the shell intact.
- To the same pot with the boiling water, return the eggs and add in the remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil and immediately turn the heat to low. Simmer for 40 minutes, cover with lid and let eggs steep for a few hours to overnight. The longer you steep, the more flavorful and deeply marbled the tea eggs will be.
And then you’ll crack these eggs open and you’ll have wonderful eggs – tea eggs to enjoy with tea. Aesthetically, at the very least, it would make a great breakfast. It just adds to the list of things you can do with tea – aging paper props for presentations or plays, cleaning carpets, acting as a compress, and with this dish as a way to make beautiful and amazing hard boiled eggs. Whether they’re made for Easter , Chinese New Year, or just a tuesday afternoon, they are egg-selent.
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