Tea Eggs

Since I'm anticipating moving out in 4 months, and will soon need to cook for myself, expect a lot more food posts up on this blog! I have been craving tea eggs as well for a while... I know I can easily just go to an Asian market nearby and pick up a dozen of these, but for later, when they're not so easily purchased, this recipe will be handy.

Recipe from Tiny Urban Kitchen and The Asian Grandmother's Cookbook.

Ingredients (Version 1)
1 dozen eggs
2 tea bags (I used Lipton's black tea bags)
1 star anise
2 tsp salt
Water

Ingredients (Version 2)
8 eggs
water
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 star anise
3 black tea bags, strings removed (English Breakfast, Assam or for a smokier flavor, Lapsang Souchong)

In a (3-quart) saucepan, place the eggs in a single layer. Cover with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once water boils, remove pan from heat, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain off water, cover eggs completely with fresh cold water and let stand.

Once eggs are cool enough to handle, tap each one gently with the back of a teaspoon to make fine cracks on the surface of the shell. Try to keep shell intact. Set eggs aside in a bowl.

In the same saucepan, bring 3 cups fresh water to boil over high heat. Add remaining ingredients. Carefully lower eggs one by one into the “tea” and reduce heat to medium-low. If eggs are not completely submerged, add more water. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Remove from heat and let eggs sit in tea liquid on the stove for 1 hour. Then transfer to refrigerator to steep for at least 2 more hours or overnight.