Known for their striking marbled appearance, tea eggs are sold by street vendors all over China and Hong Kong, said Jeremy Pang. They have a beautifully rich flavour, making them an ideal protein-rich snack at any time. They are also an excellent finger food at parties. If cooked too long, the eggs can become rubbery, so I cook them for five minutes exactly, and then plunge them into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. This guarantees deliciously jammy yolks.
Ingredients:
60g salt
12 fresh eggs, at room temperature
2 star anise
1 small cinnamon stick
zest of 1 tangerine
3 tbsp jasmine tea leaves
1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄2 a thumb-sized piece of ginger
4 spring onions
2 tbsp light soy sauce
10 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 litre (1 3⁄4 pints) water
Method:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week’s Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Put all of the marbling marinade ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to the boil, then boil for 10 minutes 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 (3 1⁄2 pints) 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 the eggs have boiled, place them 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.
Peel, and serve as a snack with crisps or as a side dish.
Tip: this is a great accompaniment to a cold beer – Hong Kong style!
Taken from Hong Kong Kitchen by Jeremy Pang, published by Hamlyn at £25. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £22.99 (incl. p&p), visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.
Sign up for The Week’s Food & Drink newsletter for recipes, reviews and recommendations.
