Chinese Tea Eggs (Tea Leaf Eggs) Recipe
January 22nd, 2009 | 30-Minute Meals Recipes, Chinese, Chinese Recipes, Eating Light, Malaysian Food | 33 Comments
(Chinese recipes, prepare authentic Chinese food now!)
This past weekend, my neighborhood Albertson was having an egg sale for only 99 cents a carton. When I saw the ad, I immediately thought of Chinese tea eggs. My uncle recently gave me a block of aged Chinese pu-erh tea (普洱茶) and it’s perfect for tea leaf eggs (茶叶蛋).
I am a huge fan of eggs, especially hard-boiled eggs in curry, soy sauce, or in this case, Chinese tea. What’s not to love about eggs that are steeped for hours in Chinese tea, with marbled pattern on the egg white, plus to-die-for aroma from the tea? I simply love Chinese tea leaf eggs…
If appearance is not important to you, you can prepare these tea eggs in a jiffy without boiling the eggs twice. Some people simply leave the eggs (with the shell on) in the Chinese tea mixture and skip the process of cracking the egg shells. So, it’s totally up to you. For me, I love pretty looking tea leaf eggs and don’t mind spending longer time in the kitchen preparing them.
Here is my recipe for Chinese tea eggs or tea leaf eggs (茶叶蛋) .
Adapted from Steamy Kitchen
Ingredients:
6-12 eggs
4 cups water
6 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons pu-erh tea
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.
Cook’s Notes:
- For serving, I like dipping my Chinese tea leaf eggs with a little soy sauce, but they are flavorful without any additional condiments.
- For more eggs recipes on Rasa Malaysia, please check out my Recipe Index.
Related Recipes:
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I love tea eggs too. You Chinese tea leaf eggs are so adorable, I think 6 is not enough for me. LOL.
-Gan
Hello Bee, no problem! I was very busy last year (and also did not have time to respond to comments, or comment), and you always made time to say hello. Thank you Bee, I appreciate you so much. I hope that you are able to get some rest and relaxation during your busy time. And I love your version of the tea eggs. Just as Steamy Kitchen inspired you, you inspired me!
I would love to try chinese tea egg one day. They look really yummy!!!
It looks so beautiful. I have heard so much about these aggs, but never had the chance to eat them.
Never tried them…I must say I am intrigued.
Hi, I enjoy reading your blog esp all the Malaysian food which I am familiar with. I am just wondering do you happen to know how to make Roti John? Not sure if it’s a Malaysian or Singapore dish…But I have been missing it since I move to US…Thanks : )
I absolutely adore your site and am a frequent visitor! Thank you for posting so many DELICIOUS looking recipes online so even Asian-food lovers living in Chicago (like me) can enjoy authentic flavors. :) I even introduced my Malaysian friend to your site. She loves it too!
very beautiful, I must try making them too one day. Have an ox-picious niu year! =D
hey you! Happy Chinese New Year!
I love the idea of these and they do look fantastic! Does the tea flavor really come through, or is it more for the color?
All – thanks for all your comments. I apologize that I don’t have much time to respond anymore, but really appreciate the comments.
Happy Belly – sorry, not sure how to make roti John.
Teckiee – Happy Ox Year!
Marc – yes, the tea infuses the eggs with the flavor. It’s awesome.
I am a fan of eggs too. This is one way I have never had them. I must try.
I believe eggs are one of the most photogenic foods, and your example is no exception. Beautiful!
Lori Lynn
Though, I am not a huge fan of egg, but I am interested with your egg patterns :D
My father loved telur asin, quail egg and other eggs.
I have never tried this brownish cracked egg in boiling pot all over in supermarkets coz of the smell but who knows maybe next year ,
happy new year !
toni
I just found your site and your pictures are amazing. I love the colors here.
I don’t like eggs but your pictures are so beautiful! bravo. cheers
Gonna try this one of these days! I can already imagine the apartment smelling of herb and tea whole day long!!! :)
I love your blog and I love the pictures that you take! I love the recipes!! And I must say I love the tea egg.s :)
Lovely eggs! I used to be addicted to them in China. The tea-egg lady would make a special visit to my door to make sure I didn’t miss them. But I don’t make them enough here. Thanks for the reminder!
I always love tea eggs, but have not had it for years. Got to try to make it these days. Yours looks pretty and yummy. I was wondering, why do you need to rinse them with cold water after boiling them?
Hi,
What’s cloves? is it gralic?
May – clove is not garlic. It’s a dried spice.
:D Wish i had saw yr post earlier.. i follow another recipe that i found on the internet.. similar to yours but it need 3/4 cup of soy sauce.. they turn out so salty ~!!!! Am going to make another batch now ..
My version of Chinese tea egg is not salty at all. So this may suits your taste bud :)
i used to eat these as a young child (less than 2 years old) i recently found this recipe and made 12 of these eggs in a large crockpot(i left them for the day) when they were done i then ate all of them in one go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! absolutly delish!!!!!!!!!!! =)
I know thess tea egss are delicious, but all 12 in one go?! That should be some kind of Chinese Tea Eggs book of records! :P
I just tried your recipe out. I never knew eggs could taste this good. It just bought a beautiful aroma to the house. It must be the cinnamon. I expected it to taste a little bitter because of the pu-erh tea leaves, but to my amazement it actually had a sweet taste. It must have been from the sugar and the spices. Definitely a great recipe.
Thanks,
Tea eggs are the best! My chinese friend made them for me, and i always make him cook them! now i can actually make it lol
Hi there,
Would love to try this. However, I can’t get hold of the Chinese five-spice powder here. -__- Would there be any other alternatives that you may suggest?
Hmm, there is really no alternative but it’s OK to skip.
You have a wonderful site. Beautifully taken pictures and easy to follow recipes… I’m able to relive memories of home, right here from Chicago. :)
Thank you.
Shuling – thank you! I am glad you like this Chinese tea leaf eggs.