Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs

Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs
Recipe by: SOYGIRL2
"One of my favorite dishes when I head back home; it combines hard-boiled eggs with the subtle flavor of anise and the deep brown hues of black tea and soy. The cracked patterns from the broken shells make these quite attractive! I eat these sliced in quarters and chilled as a side dish, appetizer, or snack. Recipe courtesy of Mom."

Ingredients
11 h 20 m
8 servings
76 cals

8 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon black soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons black tea leaves
2 pods star anise
1 (2 inch) piece cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon tangerine zest
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Directions

Prep
20 m

Cook
3 h

Ready In
11 h 20 m

In a large saucepan, combine eggs and 1 teaspoon salt; cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and cool. When cool, tap eggs with the back of a spoon to crack shells (do not remove shells).
In a large saucepan, combine 3 cups water, soy sauce, black soy sauce, salt, tea leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick, and tangerine zest. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 3 hours. Remove from heat, add eggs, and let steep for at least 8 hours.

Notes
Eggs can steep up to 1 1/2 days for richer flavor. Store eggs unpeeled and tightly sealed in refrigerator. They will keep 4 to 5 days.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving: 76 calories; 5 g fat; 1.2 g carbohydrates; 6.6 g protein; 186 mg cholesterol; 659 mg sodium. Full nutrition