Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs

Welcome to our weekly Foodie Friday link up! I’m linking up with Annmarie from the Fit Foodie Mama + Esther from Chocolate Runner Girl to create awesome healthy recipes each week! This week’s theme is Heritage Appreciation!

Tea Leaf Eggs (or 茶叶蛋) are a popular savory Chinese street snack where a hard-boiled egg is cracked and then boiled again in tea/sauce/spices! I’m a big fan of hard-boiled eggs as portable snacks and this is a great way to spice it up!

Since I missed posting a recipe to celebrate Chinese New Year, I’m finally sharing a recipe now. :P Better late than never, right? (You can also check out all the Chinese recipes I have on my blog!)

I used Bare Tea’s Organic Yunnan Gold black tea, which I won from a giveaway long long ago. :D! I don’t drink coffee, so tea is the only caffeinated beverage I ever have, and this one is awesome-sauce and I’ll have to talk about their other teas I received from them at some other point!

On a sidenote, Yunnan [云南] is an absolutely beautiful place if you ever get a chance to go! I went there back in 2007 (a whole decade ago!?) and I still think it’s one of the most gorgeous places I’ve ever visited, which, if you’ve seen my Travel Tuesdays, is saying a lot (in my humble opinion, since I’ve absolutely loved my travels <3 ).

Yunnan (云南)

yunnan

Tangerines and oranges are thought of as lucky Chinese New Year symbols because tangerine sounds like the Chinese word for “luck” + orange sounds like the chinese word for “wealth,” so having em’ is thought to bring good luck and wealth! :]

I used a tangerine peel in this recipe and lightened up on the soy sauce because yay for low-sodium diets! As a result, my tea leaf eggs weren’t quite as vibrantly “dyed” as they could’ve been, but I think you’ll live. <3 (Add more if you’d like!)

Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs (茶叶蛋)

Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs

Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs

Cook Time20 minutes
8 hours
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Keyword: easy
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 8 eggs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 tea bag
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tangerine peel

Instructions

  • Combine eggs in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for ~20 minutes.
  • Remove from heat, then drain the eggs and let cool. Tap the eggs on the counter (or with the back of a spoon) to crack the shells, but refrain from removing the shells.
  • In a large saucepan, combine the water, soy sauce, salt, tea bag, cinnamon stick and tangerine peel. Bring this to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and let simmer for for 3 hours. Remove them from heat, then add eggs and let steep overnight (or at least for 8 hours).

Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs

One more photo of 云南 before I go!

One more photo of 云南 before I go!

End-of-Week-ish Recap!


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Permanent link to this article: https://www.fairyburger.com/chinese-tea-leaf-eggs/

26 comments

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    • Ricardo on March 3, 2017 at 7:34 am
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    I wonder how many flavor variants there are depending on the tea you use. Like something with spice or maybe a peppermint tea.

    1. I can’t say I’ve ever tried it with any other type of tea–would be interesting to see!
      Farrah recently posted…Turkey Sausage Mushroom Pizza with Sourdough CrustMy Profile

  1. How cool! I’ve never heard of this before, but sounds really good!
    Julie @ Running in a Skirt recently posted…Vegetarian Crock Pot Mushroom SoupMy Profile

    1. Thanks, Julie! :]
      Farrah recently posted…Turkey Sausage Mushroom Pizza with Sourdough CrustMy Profile

  2. Oh I didn’t know it was that simple to make tea eggs! I was lucky enough to visit Yunnan with my family after my first year of med school. It was wonderful. China is so beautiful!
    Winding Spiral Case recently posted…Life This Week: Getting ByMy Profile

    1. Agreed! I kinda want to go back there again–the views were absolutely breathtaking! *-*
      Farrah recently posted…Turkey Sausage Mushroom Pizza with Sourdough CrustMy Profile

  3. I have never heard of this before but they look delicious and absolutely gorgeous!
    Annmarie recently posted…Blueberry Mint Hydration PopsiclesMy Profile

    1. Thanks so much, Annmarie! :D!
      Farrah recently posted…Turkey Sausage Mushroom Pizza with Sourdough CrustMy Profile

  4. I really want to try this. We poach/boil other things in tea, why not eggs!
    Susie @ Suzlyfe recently posted…High Protein Allergy Friendly Cauliflower Crust (Gluten Free, Vegan Option)My Profile

    1. I’m gonna have to try using it for other things too! :D
      Farrah recently posted…Turkey Sausage Mushroom Pizza with Sourdough CrustMy Profile

  5. OMG! I looooove eating tea eggs! :) Can’t wait to try your recipe out and have them for dinner for the whole week, hehe! :)

    xo, Chloe // http://funinthecloset.com/bioderma-skincare/

    1. Aww, thank you! :D! I hope you like them! <3

  6. My siblings and parents constantly eat Tangerines and oranges! We have a lot of good luck coming our way!
    Sana recently posted…What I Eat The Entire Day On Weight Watchers!My Profile

    1. Yay! I just got some more tangerines today! :D
      Farrah recently posted…Turkey Sausage Mushroom Pizza with Sourdough CrustMy Profile

  7. Very cool! I love hard boiled eggs and would for sure be up for trying this out!
    AZ@…And a Dash of Cinnamon recently posted…Greek Inspired Tacos [Clean]My Profile

    1. Yay! I hope you like it!
      Farrah recently posted…Turkey Sausage Mushroom Pizza with Sourdough CrustMy Profile

  8. These are so beautiful! When I can have eggs again I am going to have to make some :)

    1. Thanks so much, Esther! :D I hope you like em’!
      Farrah recently posted…Turkey Sausage Mushroom Pizza with Sourdough CrustMy Profile

  9. Thanks for sharing! I don’t really eat a lot of eggs, but I need to branch out more since it’s a nice source of protein.

    -Lauren
    ShootingStarsMag recently posted…Glossies Made Me Do It: Two Magazines, Five BooksMy Profile

    1. They definitely are! I go meatless when I’m trying to save money, so eggs, tofu and beans become my main sources of protein! :P
      Farrah recently posted…Turkey Sausage Mushroom Pizza with Sourdough CrustMy Profile

  10. I’ve never had tea leaf eggs but I love boiled eggs, so I’m sure I will love them. I used to be a purely tea girl then I started freelance writing I found out I love to write and drinking coffee. I don’t drink it often maybe a few times a week but I really do enjoy it. I didn’t know tangerines and orange are a lucky Chinese New Year Symbol.
    Mary recently posted…DIY Marble Stationery #craftyfridaysMy Profile

    1. Yay! I hope you like these! I’m still definitely a tea person but I have coffee a couple times a year in life-or-sleep situations! :P
      Farrah recently posted…Turkey Sausage Mushroom Pizza with Sourdough CrustMy Profile

  11. These eggs are so freaking cool! I’ve heard of them before but didn’t realize how easy it is to make them. Happy late Chinese New Year!
    Kaylin@EnticingHealthyEating recently posted…Rustic Apple Pie in Cast Iron SkilletMy Profile

    1. I never realized it either, but this makes me happy! I can have em’ way more often than I thought now! :P!
      Farrah recently posted…Turkey Sausage Mushroom Pizza with Sourdough CrustMy Profile

  12. I always see these at Chinese grocery stores – but I never knew how they were made or shah ingredients they used. So interesting!
    Kristy from Southern In Law recently posted…Recipe: Ham, Cheese and Asparagus FrittataMy Profile

    1. My mom told me about this one other ingredient that’s often used–I don’t know what it’s called in english but will have to track it down and try making it with that! :P
      Farrah recently posted…Turkey Sausage Mushroom Pizza with Sourdough CrustMy Profile

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