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.

Hojicha Tiramisù

Hojicha Tiramisù

A trendy addition to baked goods and desserts, hojicha steps in for espresso in this fun take on tiramisù. Hojicha is a Japanese green tea like matcha, but this roasted tea has a distinct chestnut brown color with a full-bodied nutty, toasty flavor that is akin to coffee and cocoa. Available from Japanese grocery stores, online and popping on more supermarket shelves, hojicha is sold either as tea leaves or as a finely ground powder, which is best for baking and desserts like this one. (If you can only find the tea leaves, simply blend them into a powder.) This simplified tiramisù forgoes eggs, instead opting for a mixture of mascarpone and Greek yogurt, which delivers an airy texture and a tartness that compliments the earthiness of the tea. If you can’t find hojicha, use matcha powder, cocoa or Earl Grey tea. The flavor and texture of this dish will improve overnight, as the ladyfingers soak up the hojicha, making it the perfect make-ahead dessert.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

2 cups/16 ounces mascarpone (or cream cheese; see Tip), at room temperature

⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided 

2 cups/16 ounces full-fat Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

¼ cup plus 2 teaspoons finely ground hojicha powder, divided

1 cup just-boiled water

1 (7-ounce) package ladyfingers (about 24 cookies, each about 4 inches long)

Place the mascarpone and ⅓ cup sugar into a large bowl and whisk together until it loosens up and looks like whipped cream. (This should take 30 to 60 seconds or so.) Gently fold in the yogurt and vanilla extract by dragging a flexible spatula under and over the mixture, scraping the sides and bottom as you go, until combined.

Sift ¼ cup of the hojicha powder into a wide bowl and then add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and the just-boiled water. Whisk until the hojicha is dissolved and there are no lumps.

You will need a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. (An 8-by-8-inch square pan would work too, made in 2 layers.) Working quickly, dip one side of each ladyfinger into the hojicha mixture and immediately flip it over so both sides are soaked. (Dip quickly, as the ladyfingers will fall apart if they get too soggy.) Transfer the dipped ladyfinger to the baking dish, rounded side up. Repeat, lining them up neatly, until you have one layer of ladyfingers. (If using a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, there will be a row of 8 across the bottom.)

Spoon ⅓ of the mascarpone mix (about 1¾ cups) over the ladyfingers and spread it out neatly into an even layer. (An offset spatula helps here.) Repeat these layers of hojicha-soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone mixture two more times until you have three layers of each. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, sift the remaining 2 teaspoons hojicha powder over the top until it is fully covered. Cut into slices and serve cold. (The hojicha tiramisu will keep, tightly covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days.)

Tip

If you can’t find mascarpone, you can substitute with the same amount of cream cheese. When the cream cheese is at room temperature, loosen it with water, a few tablespoons at a time, until it’s the texture of whipped cream.

Tea Eggs

Wesley Chaplin (Facebook)  - This is my grandma's recipe:

Ingredients

• 12 large eggs

Marinade

• 4 tablespoons light soy sauce (or soy sauce)T

• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (or soy sauce)

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns

• 3 star anise

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons cooking wine

• 2 black tea bags (or 2 tablespoons black tea leaves)

• 2 cups water

• ½ cup ice cubes

Instructions

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a small pot. Cook over medium heat until bringing to a boil. Turn to medium-low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pot from your stove and let cool completely. Once done, remove and discard the tea bags.

2. To boil the eggs, heat a pot of water (enough to cover all the eggs) over high heat until boiling. Turn to low heat. Carefully place the eggs in the pot using a ladle, to prevent the eggs from cracking.

3. Boil 5 minutes for soft-boiled eggs, 7 minutes for medium eggs, or 10 minutes for hard-boiled eggs.

4. While cooking the eggs, prepare an ice bath by combining ice and tap water in a big bowl.

5. Once the eggs are cooked, immediately transfer them to the ice bath to cool for 2 to 3 minutes. If you don’t have ice on hand, simply run cool tap water over the eggs for a couple minutes until they cool down.

6. Gently crack the eggs using the back of a spoon. You want to make sure the egg shells are cracked enough so the marinade will reach the interior, without cracking the eggs apart (especially if you made soft boiled eggs). If you’re in a hurry, you can also peel the eggs and marinate them peeled. The eggs will be ready in 12 hours this way.

7. Transfer the eggs to a quart-size ziplock bag, then carefully pour in the marinade along with the dry ingredients. Marinate overnight for peeled eggs, or 24 hours for cracked “marble” eggs.

8. Peel the eggs and enjoy them cold or at room temperature!

9. You can store the leftover eggs in the marinade for 4 to 5 days in the fridge. The marinade will help with preserving the eggs. Note, the eggs will become more flavorful and saltier over time.

* Also, no matter how long I let them marinate in the fridge, it's like impossible to get the marbling to work without heat. So because I love the softboiled version, I peel them and let them marinate in the bag.

https://omnivorescookbook.com for reference.

Tea Eggs

Tea Eggs (Wesley Chaplin)

I think the instructions are from Woks of Life but I modified the ingredient list to match my Wai Po's recipe. She wasn't a huge fan of everything in five spice, so she put in just peppercorns and star anise. The cooking wine/shaoxing wine adds a nice layer of flavor too, as do the bay leaves. And I do prefer the soft boiled version. It's like impossible to get the beautiful marbling though so I just completely peel them and let them soak 24 hours, but I usually can't resist and have one in the morning... haha.

• 4 tablespoons light soy sauce (or soy sauce)

• 2 tablespoons dark mushroom soy sauce (or soy sauce)

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns

• 3 star anise

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 3 tablespoons cooking wine

• 2 black tea bags (or 2 tablespoons black tea leaves)

• 2 cups water

• ½ cup ice cubes

Instructions

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a small pot. Cook over medium heat until bringing to a boil. Turn to medium-low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pot from your stove and let cool completely. Once done, remove and discard the tea bags.

2. To boil the eggs, heat a pot of water (enough to cover all the eggs) over high heat until boiling. Turn to low heat. Carefully place the eggs in the pot using a ladle, to prevent the eggs from cracking.

3. Boil 5 minutes for soft-boiled eggs, 7 minutes for medium eggs, or 10 minutes for hard-boiled eggs.

4. While cooking the eggs, prepare an ice bath by combining ice and tap water in a big bowl.

5. Once the eggs are cooked, immediately transfer them to the ice bath to cool for 2 to 3 minutes. If you don’t have ice on hand, simply run cool tap water over the eggs for a couple minutes until they cool down.

6. Gently crack the eggs using the back of a spoon. You want to make sure the egg shells are cracked enough so the marinade will reach the interior, without cracking the eggs apart (especially if you made soft boiled eggs). If you’re in a hurry, you can also peel the eggs and marinate them peeled. The eggs will be ready in 12 hours this way.

7. Transfer the eggs to a quart-size ziplock bag, then carefully pour in the marinade along with the dry ingredients. Marinate overnight for peeled eggs, or 24 hours for cracked “marble” eggs.

8. Peel the eggs and enjoy them cold or at room temperature!

9. You can store the leftover eggs in the marinade for 4 to 5 days in the fridge. The marinade will help with preserving the eggs. Note, the eggs will become more flavorful and saltier over time.