Decorative and delicate in taste
This is a very special way to serve hardboiled eggs. You prepare them in advance, all you need to do is peel them before serving them. The result is beautiful marbled eggs with the subtle taste of spices. Do not be put off by the long boiling time, the eggs really will be fit for consumption!
The recipe is for RekenĀ 1 egg per person, if you boil more than 8 eggs at a time, double the amounts for the cooking liquid;Ā preparation in advanceĀ 6 minutes;Ā preparationĀ 90 minutesĀ plus 12 hours to marinate.
as muchĀ eggsĀ as eaters
2 TbspĀ sojasaus
¼ ts0p salt
2 wholeĀ star anise
2 Tbsp black ChineseĀ teaĀ (for example Oolong)
1Ā cinnamonstick, broken in two pieces
1 piece driedĀ mandarin peelĀ (Chinese foodstores)
Preparation in advance
Do not use newly laid eggs, for these are very hard to peel. The eggs for this recipe must have been turned regularly during storage, for the yolk to be in the centre of the egg. Boil the eggs for six to eight minutes with some salt added to the water (I always start with the eggs in cold water, and start timing when the water boils). Rinse them under cold water and let them cool.
Preparation
Take one egg in the palm of your hand, and carefully tap on it with the convex side of a spoon until the shell is covered with fine cracks. Put the eggs in a pan in which all the eggs fit snugly. Add spices, tea leaves and soy sauce. Add enough water to cover the eggs. Bring to the boil, stir occasionally until the tea leaves stop floating on the surface. Cover and let it simmer on a very low fire for about two hours. Then take the pan off the fire, and let it stand for at least twelve hours (up to 36 hours) at room temperature.
To serve
Do not peel the eggs until just before serving. With each egg it will be a surprise how it has turned out. Some will be marbled all over, others have large brown spots with darker marbling (here the shell was cracked a bit too much). But, however they will look, the taste will be great!
Ingredients
All descriptions of ingredients
Anise and aniseed
The flavour of anise is much appreciated all over the world. Aniseed is indigenous in the Middle-East, and was used around the Mediterranean at least from the fourth century bC. The seed is from an annual plant calledĀ Pimpinella anisum. The distinctive sweet taste comes fromĀ anethole, an essential oil. In China growsĀ Illicium verum, a small evergreen tree related to magnolia. Its dried, star-shaped fruit are also rich in anethole. SeeĀ Fennel.
Soy sauce
There are many kinds of soy sauce. It is made from fermented soy beans and wheat flour, and salt. In the Netherlands IndonesianĀ ketjapĀ is the best known soy sauce (a thick and sweet soy sauce). Worldwide Chinese and Japanese soy sauce are widely used. Chinese soy sauce is thick and salty, Japanese soy sauce is thin and salty (yes, soy sauce is salty) and can be either dark or light (although it is rather dark too). There is a great variety in quality, you’ll have to find out which brand and variety you lie best for yourself.
You can’t interchange Japanese and Chinese soy sauce. For a Japanese dish, use Japanese soy sauce, and for a Chinese dish, use Chinese soy sauce, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
Recipe for Chinese tea eggs
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