Tea Egg (茶叶蛋) is a traditional Chinese snack. It has beautiful marbled pattern on surface. It can be served warm or cold. Tea egg is hard-boiled eggs that stew with black tea, soy sauce and spices. The marbling surface is the result of the cracked egg shell and the color from black tea and soy sauce. Tea eggs are delicious because the aroma from tea and the marinated sauce penetrated into the eggs.

Tea eggs recipe:

Ingredients:

• 10 hard-boiled eggs with shell (see hard-boiled eggs cooking method)
• 3 tablespoons black tea
• 2½ teaspoons sugar
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 star anise
• Water

Cooking method:

• Crack egg shells all around with the back of spoon or on hard surface, and let shells remains intact.
• Place the eggs in a pot and fill with water until the water level is above eggs around 1 inch.
• Add remaining ingredients, bring to boil.
• Turn heat to low, cover pot and simmer for about 1 hour.
• Let eggs steeping in the marinade for at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Serve warm or cool. If wanted to serve warm, just bring it to boil again, it will heat up the eggs.