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    Home » Diet » Gluten-Free

    CHINESE TEA LEAF EGGS 茶葉蛋

    Oct 4, 2020 · 16 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    茶葉蛋 Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs are delicious, fragrant and ridiculously effortless to make! Make these perfect creamy unctuous texture soft-boiled marbled eggs in just 10 minutes – gluten-free adaptable!

    茶葉蛋 Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs

    I love eggs. I could eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. A fried egg over Chinese take out would make a wonderful late night snack too! It would be like Christmas whenever my parent’s cooked some eggs. The funny thing is my 3 year old daughter, would not come near the kitchen if eggs were on the menu! SMH!

    Tea Leaf Eggs 茶葉蛋 is a traditional Chinese appetizer and often paired with a bowl of rice or served on its own.

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    The tea stained eggs have a beautiful marbled surface and are rich in umami flavours after being bathing in a savoury marinade consisting of light and dark soy sauce, star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, shaoxing wine and of course black tea leaves.

    茶葉蛋 Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs

    HOW TO MAKE THE BEST TEA LEAF EGGS

    The question often asked is ‘should I make my tea stained eggs recipe with hard or soft boiled eggs?' I often find that store bought tea leaf eggs are overcooked and has a rubbery texture, and maybe even a chalky green rim around the yolk.

    If the Japanese ajitama ramen egg and the Chinese tea leaf egg had a baby, that would be the perfect marbled tea leaf egg! It would be half-way runny and thickened with a longer marinade of two to three days.

    Cooking the eggs to a soft boiled egg doneness is pretty ingenious (unless you are making these Chinese Deviled Eggs with Pork Floss and Nori!)

    The Momofuku Soy Sauce eggs ask that you carefully put the eggs into the boilding water and cook for exactly 6 minutes and 50 seconds, stirring slowly for the first 1 ½ minutes to distribute the heat evenly; then followed by a quick ice bath.

    I personally prefer the 63-degree egg method! It is fail safe and a perfect creamy unctuous texture oozes out when my knife pierces the egg. Every time!

    1. Simply cook your eggs in a sous vide machine (like this one).
    2. Bring the water to a constant 63 degrees Celsius (145.4 degrees Fahrenheit)
    3. Submerge your eggs in a sous-vide safe plastic bag and let the eggs hang out there for an hour.

    The result? A Chinese-Japanese tea ramen egg marinaded in tea!

    cracked eggs

    HOW TO PROPERLY CRACK THE EGGS

    Once the eggs are cooled, lightly crack the egg shells by tapping it with the back of a spoon. Be careful and don’t fully break the shell. You simply want the egg shells slightly cracked to let the marinade seep through to infuse and marble the eggs.

    spices CHINESE TEA LEAF EGGS 茶葉蛋

    THE MARINADE

    While the egg in its water bath, I would prepare the marinade with a few pantry staples – black tea bags or loose leaf tea, light and dark soy sauce, star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, shaoxing wine, bay leaves, sugar, salt and water. Adding a few slices of ginger would also add a nice punch.

    Swap out soy sauce for tamari; and sugar for maple syrup for a gluten-free alternative.

    Add all the ingredients to a medium pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes and remove from heat. Let cool completely, discard the tea bags and set aside.

    Once the eggs are ready, gently submerge the eggs into the marinade. Avoid dropping them in. They may break if you drop them into the pot. I like to transfer everything to a covered container and refrigerate two to three days. The egg yolk will start to thicken and turn a beautiful light brownish yellow colour.

    WHAT TO DO WITH THE LEFTOVER MARINADE

    If stored properly, you can use the marinade more then once. If you plan on reusing the liquid, remember to boil the liquid again and let cool. Always use a clean spoon.

    茶葉蛋 Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs

    Are Chinese Tea Eggs Healthy?

    Chinese tea egg recipe with five spice powder makes a flavourful snack with healthy nutrients. Enjoy this anytime you are looking for a filling and protein packed bite!

    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I’D LOVE SEE HOW YOU WENT WITH MY RECIPES! LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW OR TAG ME ON INSTAGRAM @INSTANOMSS #INSTANOMSS

    Print

    CHINESE TEA LEAF EGGS 茶葉蛋

    茶葉蛋 Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs
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    5 from 8 reviews

    茶葉蛋 Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs are delicious, fragrant and ridiculously effortless to make! Make these perfect creamy unctuous texture soft-boiled marbled eggs in just 10 minutes - gluten-free adaptable!

    • Author: Nancy
    • Prep Time: 2
    • Cook Time: 10
    • Total Time: 12 minutes
    • Yield: 8 eggs 1x
    • Category: appetizer, snack
    • Method: boil
    • Cuisine: Chinese

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 8 eggs
    • 2 slices ginger
    • 2 star anise
    • 1 cinnamon stick
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 3 tablespoon black tea leaves
    • 1 teaspoon sichuan peppercorns
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • 2 teaspoon salt
    • 4 tablespoon dark soy sauce
    • 2 tsp shaoxing wine
    • 3 cups of water (or enough to submerge the eggs)

    Instructions

    Bring the eggs to room temperature by leaving them out of the refrigerator for 20 mins.

     

    Preparing the Marinade

    1. In a small pot, add all the ingredients except the eggs. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to low-medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
    2. Once done, remove and discard the tea bags.
    3. Set aside and let cool completely.

     

    Cooking the Eggs (Stovetop Method)

    1. Boil a large pot of water.
    2. Carefully place the eggs into the boiling water and cook for exactly 6 minutes and 50 seconds. Stirring slowly to distribute heat evenly for the first minute.
    3. While the eggs are cooking, fill a large bowl with ice and cold water.
    4. Transfer the eggs to the ice bath to cool.

     

    Cooking the Eggs (Sous Vide Method)

     

    1. Cook your eggs in a sous vide machine (like this one).
    2. Bring the water to a constant 63 degrees Celsius (145.4 degrees Fahrenheit)
    3. Submerge your eggs in a sous-vide safe plastic bag and let the eggs hang out there for an hour.

     

     

    Marinating the Eggs

     

    1. Once the eggs are cool, gently crack the eggs by tapping the shell with the back of a spoon. The eggs are still very soft, if you crack it too hard, you may break the eggs.
    2. Make sure the eggs shells are cracked enough so the marinade can seep into inside and marble the eggs. You can also opt to peel the eggs and marinate the eggs without any shells.
    3. Place the cracked eggs into a container, then pour the marinade in until the eggs are completely submerged.
    4. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Marinate longer for two to three days if you prefer a thicker egg yolk. The eggs will become more flavourful and saltier over time.

    Equipment

    pyrex-glass-container https://amzn.to/2Smzkv9

    pyrex glass container

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    black tea leaves

    black tea leaves

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    cinnamon-sticks https://amzn.to/3lbokwK

    cinnamon stick

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    shaoxing wine https://amzn.to/2Sl7EXt

    shaoxing wine

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    sous vide https://amzn.to/3nhhK9O

    sous vide machines

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    star anise https://amzn.to/36A6vUl

    star anise

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    glass mixing bowl

    large mixing bowl

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    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 8 eggs
    • Calories: 115
    • Sugar: 1.7 g
    • Sodium: 1486.8 mg
    • Fat: 5.2 g
    • Carbohydrates: 9.4 g
    • Protein: 8.4 g
    • Cholesterol: 186 mg

    Did you make this recipe?

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    茶葉蛋 Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Terri says

      October 12, 2020 at 12:24 pm

      I'm with you I LOVE eggs! And this recipe is awesome. My daughter didn't like eggs with she was that little either, but don't worry, she'll grow out of it!

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        October 12, 2020 at 4:54 pm

        I HOPE SO!! I try so hard to get her to eat eggs (and other healthy stuff) and she always runs away!

        Reply
    2. Kristen says

      October 12, 2020 at 6:53 am

      Oh my, I’m so excited to try these. I have a Ninja Foodi so it will be an experiment!

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        October 12, 2020 at 4:53 pm

        Does the Ninja Foodi work well ? i'm interested

        Reply
    3. Sharon says

      October 11, 2020 at 8:04 pm

      Cool!! What a neat technique. I love artsy looking food. I've been an egg eater since childhood and still love them. Can't wait to try this out.

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        October 12, 2020 at 4:52 pm

        me too ! I love eggs and need to eat them couple times a week!

        Reply
    4. Yvonne Langen says

      October 10, 2020 at 5:06 pm

      These are delicious and beautiful - the texture from the sous vide is incredible!

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        October 12, 2020 at 4:51 pm

        Haha Sous vide eggs never fails me!

        Reply
    5. Vanessa says

      October 08, 2020 at 9:30 pm

      They are so beautiful! I love eggs so these are a real treat. However, I also understand what it is like to have a child that won't go near them

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        October 09, 2020 at 9:30 am

        Thanks Vanessa!! I find kids this generation hates it more than my generation or those before. It's so strange!

        Reply
    6. Joss says

      October 08, 2020 at 11:58 am

      I've never seen these before, really cool!

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        October 09, 2020 at 9:30 am

        Thanks Joss!! These are super popular in Asia. Hope you get to try one sometime!

        Reply
    7. Denise@urbnspice says

      October 07, 2020 at 6:56 pm

      How very interesting, Nancy! I am so curious about this recipe and plan on trying it in my new sous-vide that my daughters just gifted me with. Thanks so much for sharing all of the different ways of making your Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs.

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        October 09, 2020 at 9:31 am

        What a great gift your daughter got you! It's such a life saver and I love how precise cooking is with it! Can't wait to see you make these and other meals!

        Reply
    8. Bernice Hill says

      October 06, 2020 at 9:53 pm

      oooh, I love eggs too. I often either have scrambled eggs or medium boiled eggs with toast for lunch. I don't boil eggs any more and I don't have a sous vide but I love making eggs in my instant pot!
      I've made these before, thanks for reminding me how easy and delicious they are.

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        October 07, 2020 at 3:26 pm

        I've actually never made eggs in my IP before. Though i hear it is super simple at 4 minutes.
        I will have to give it a try!

        Reply

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    nancy wu nomss.com

    Hi, I'm Nancy!

    I'm a finance professional and a Mommy to a toddler girl based Vancouver, BC, Canada.

    I love modern Chinese cooking, Asian inspired recipes and healthy vegan / vegetarian / plant-based substitutes focused on healthy family, wellness and sustainability.

    For skincare, beauty and Motherhood, visit our sister blog hellonance.com

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    茶葉蛋 Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs