Chinese tea boiled eggs (a.k.a marble eggs) are commonly sold as a snack by street vendors at night markets in China and Chinese stores and community get togethers all over the world.
I haven’t been to China, but I’ve had these in Malaysia, at a tea shop called Purple Cane, which you can find at Mid Valley Megamall amongst many other locations (and previously Sunway Pyramid Mall too, shame that branch shut down). The distinct fragrance (which is not everyone’s cup of tea, pun intended) can lead you to the store from meters away, and rumor has it that they never throw away the broth, but just keep adding to it.
I hear that in Taiwan, these are a common fixture at 7 Elevens and convenience stores.
Chinese Tea Boiled Eggs are very simple:
- Wash eggs well
- Boil them
- Crack them lightly
- Submerge in tea and spice broth and simmer for 30 minutes
- Add soy sauce, rock sugar and salt
- Simmer low and slow for 3 to 24 hours. The longer, the better.
Now, I’m not exactly aware of the quantities and complete list of spices that go into the tea broth, I simply bought the mix from Purple Cane tea shop in Malaysia. All I know is that it contains the star anise, fennel seeds, cinnamon, 5 spice powder, Szechwan peppercorns, bay leaves etc. You can get a much more detailed recipe on this site https://omnivorescookbook.com/chinese-tea-eggs/
