Egg-travaganza: Chinese Tea Soaked Eggs

 This is the kick off post for my Egg-travaganza.   I am going to be posting different egg recipes and ways to decorate eggs up until Easter.  

Last week at my children's school was their annual International Festival. The children all dress up to represent different countries, have a parade, and put on a wonderful program.   Each group of classes is assigned a continent.  Then parents volunteer to make a dish to represent the continent for a tasting garden.
 My good friend Laura, introduced me to Chinese tea soaked eggs.   She taught English for several years in Taiwan and this is a recipe that she learned while there.

Five-Spice Tea Eggs

eggs, a dozen or so
black Chinese tea leaves, 3-4 tablespoons
whole eight-star anise, 3-4
five-spice powder, 1 teaspoon
thumb-sized piece of ginger
soysauce, 3 tablespoons
salt, 1 teaspoon

1. Make soft-boiled eggs and immerse in cold water (this makes for easier peeling later.)
2. Gently tap the eggs with the back of a spoon so that the shells are cracked all over.
3. In a pan cover the eggs with water, add the tea leaves, spices and seasonings. Simmer for an hour or two, adding water as needed. Soak overnight.

When the eggs are peeled they will have a brown crackled pattern on the inside.

It was really funny to see how people reacted to the eggs at International Festival.  People were afraid to try them!   They are just hard boiled eggs, but with all of the spices and tea give off a beautiful fragrance.   You can serve them warm or cold, eat them as a snack or served with rice.

We are planning to do some this Easter as a little twist on deviled eggs.    This post is linked to Learning to be Thrifty's Easter Link Up
and Craft-O-Maniac Monday.