Chinese Tea Eggs (茶叶蛋)

My kids are all egg lovers and they eat hard boiled eggs on a regular basis though it can rather plain and boring! I decided to do something a little different by making these Chinese Tea Eggs. 

The combination of tea leaves and dried spices (cinnamon, star anise and cloves) and five spice powder filled the kitchen was a wonderful aroma even as the eggs gently simmered on the stove for that two hours. 

My kids enjoyed the Chinese Tea Eggs very much as they it has a distinctive and special flavour. It can be enjoyed dipped in soya sauce but I think its sufficiently flavourful on its own. You can leave it overnight so that the eggs develop a deeper flavour. It's an easy dish to make - what you'll need is patience to watch the fire while its cooking. 

Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs Recipe from Rasa Malaysia

Ingredients:

• 6-12 eggs (I used 6 eggs)
• 4 cups water
• 6 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce (I used 5 tbsp)
• 3 tablespoons pu-erh tea (I used tie guan yin tea leaves)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 3 cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Method:

• Add 4 cups of water to a medium pot and gently drop in the eggs. Make sure the water covers the eggs. Bring the water to boil on high heat. Boil for about 10 minutes or so to make sure the eggs are cooked.
• Transfer the hard-boiled eggs out of the hot boiling water and rinse them with cold water. Using the back of a teaspoon, gently tap the eggshell to crack the shell. 
• Return the eggs to the water and add in the remaining ingredients. Bring the tea mixture to a boil and immediately turn the heat to low. Simmer for 2 hours (the longer the simmering, the better the taste). Add more water if needed. Serve immediately or leave the tea eggs in the mixture overnight to further develop the color and flavor.

I am submitting this to the Little Thumbs Up "Egg" event organized by Bake for Happy Kids, my little favourite DIY and hosted by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out.