Smoky Tea Eggs

Melissa's Smoky Tea Eggs

One of my favorite after-school snacks were the marinated boiled eggs I used to sneak from my Cantonese grandma Sabrina PoPo’s fridge. I boil mine just until the yolks are soft and jammy, then soak them in a sweet brine infused with warm spices like ginger and star anise and lapsang souchong tea, an earthy black tea dried over pinewood fire that gives the eggs a smoky flavor.

Twenty-four hours in the brine is the sweet spot, but if you’re anything like me, I bet you’ll eat them all before then. They’re great on their own, but they’re also delicious in ramen or jook and over steamed rice along with Char Siu Black Cod or Grilled Lemongrass–Soy Sauce Chicken Thighs.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups Chinese light soy sauce

1 cup Chinese rock sugar or lightly packed light brown sugar

1 cup water

½ cup Chinese dark soy sauce

½ cup mirin

½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar

2 tablespoons lapsang souchong tea leaves

4 by 1-inch knob ginger, lightly smashed

4 whole dried Sichuan chiles (optional)

4 whole star anise

2 bay leaves

2 Wild Cinnamon Quills

¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

 ½ teaspoon red Sichuan peppercorns

12 large eggs

In a medium pot, combine all the ingredients except the eggs. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until most of the sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature, at least 1 hour.

While the brine cools, in a covered 4- to 6-quart pot, bring 8 cups water to a full boil over high heat. Prepare a big bowl with half ice and half water.

Carefully but quickly lower the eggs (using a spider strainer helps) into the boiling water. Let the water return to a full boil, uncovered, then adjust the heat to cook at a steady simmer for 5 minutes (set a timer). When the timer goes off, turn off the heat and gently transfer the eggs to the ice water. Let them chill for at least 30 minutes. Remove the eggs, peel carefully, and rinse off any remaining bits of shell.

Put the eggs in one or more containers, then pour in the cooled brine to completely submerge the eggs. (They’ll float in the brine, so either use a small weight to keep them submerged or rotate the eggs halfway through.) Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to 48 hours (to me, 24 hours is the sweet spot).

After brining, you can drain the eggs (reserving the brine in the fridge for one more round) and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 more days.