Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs

One of my favorite dishes combines hard-boiled eggs with the subtle flavor of anise and the deep brown hues of black tea and soy. The cracked patterns from the broken shells make these quite attractive! I eat these sliced in quarters and chilled as a side dish, appetizer, or snack.

• Ready In: 3 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 8  eggs
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 3  cups water
• 1  tablespoon soy sauce
• 1  tablespoon black soy sauce
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 2  tablespoons  black tea leaves
• 2  pods star anise
•  cinnamon stick
• 1  tablespoon tangerine zest

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, combine eggs and 1 teaspoon salt; cover with cold water.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, drain, and cool.
4. When cool, tap eggs with the back of a spoon to crack shells (do not remove shells).
5. In a large saucepan, combine 3 cups water, soy sauce, black soy sauce, salt, tea leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick, and tangerine zest.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 3 hours. Remove from heat, add eggs, and let steep for at least 8 hours.