marbled tea eggs
ingredients
60g (2¼ oz / ¼ cup) salt
12 fresh eggs, at room temperature
for the marbling marinade
2 star anise
1 small cinnamon stick
zest of 1 tangerine
3 tablespoons jasmine tea leaves
½ teaspoon salt
½ a thumb-size piece of ginger
4 spring onions (scallions)
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
6 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 litre (1¾ pints / 4 cups) water
steps
Put all the marbling marinade ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then boil for 10 mins to deepen the colour and steep the tea.
Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature then cover and place in the fridge to chill.
Pour 2 litres of water into a separate large saucepan, add the salt and bring to the boil.
Lower the heat to medium and carefully add the 12 eggs to the pan. Boil for 5 minutes exactly.
Once boiled, place the eggs in a bowl of cold water to cool, running cold water from the tap over them for a minute or so, to ensure that they stop cooking.
Once cooled, crack the eggs all the way around the shell, but do not peel the eggs at this point.
Once cracked, place the eggs in the chilled marbling marinade for a minimum of 5 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
Then peel and serve as a snack with crisps or as a side dish. This is a great accompaniment to a cold beer - Hong Kong style!
