Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon black tea leaves
- 2 (3 inch) cinnamon sticks
- 4 whole star anise pods
- 1 tablespoon five-spice powder
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 slice fresh ginger root
- ½ teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon licorice root
- 1 piece dried mandarin orange peel
- 1 ounce Chinese rock sugar
- ½ cup dark soy sauce
- 10 hard-cooked eggs
What Makes This Recipe Unique
Cooking Techniques
- Let the eggs soak long enough to absorb the tea taste fully.
- Peel the eggs gently to keep the surface smooth and intact.
Directions
Combin the tea, cinnamon, star anise, five-spice, cloves, ginger, peppercorns, licorice, orange peel, rock sugar, and both dark and light soy sauces in a large saucepan. Bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer gently for about 15 minutes. While that’s happening, take your hard-cooked eggs and gently tap the shells all over to create small cracks—this helps the flavors seep in and colors the egg whites nicely. Carefully place the cracked eggs into the simmering liquid and let them cook for 30 minutes. After that, turn off the heat but leave the eggs soaking in the flavorful liquid for another two hours to really absorb the taste. Once time’s up, drain the eggs, pop them in the fridge to chill, then peel and enjoy!
