Cha Ye Dan (Tea Egg)
Cracked shells are marble! The Smell of Chinese Convenience Stores
Description
Hard-boiled eggs with deeply cracked shells, steeped for hours in a broth of black tea, soy sauce, star anise, and cinnamon. Leaves a beautiful marble pattern on the egg white.
Restaurants serving Cha Ye Dan (Tea Egg)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Egg
- Black tea leaves(Pu'er etc.)
- Soy sauce
- Star anise
- Cinnamon
- Sugar
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- Hard-boil chicken (or duck) eggs. Gently tap them with the back of a spoon to create fine, spiderweb cracks all over the shell. (NEVER peel them).
- Prepare a simmering broth of water, soy sauce, rock sugar, salt, black tea leaves (like Pu'er), and whole spices (star anise, cinnamon, cloves).
- Submerge the cracked eggs and simmer on extremely low heat for 2-
- hours.
- Turn off the heat and let them steep in the dark liquid overnight. The tea and spices seep through the cracks, permanently tattooing a beautiful marble pattern onto the egg whites.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Star anise、Black tea aroma
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Can easily make with Japanese eggs)
Pairing
Congee / Cup Noodles
Trivia
[Trivia] The source of the 'distinctive star anise smell' that hits you the moment you enter any Chinese or Taiwanese convenience store is this egg simmering by the register.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Peeling it reveals a brown 'spiderweb' or marble pattern along the cracks. Eaten casually as a snack when slightly hungry.
Allergen
Eggs, Soybeans, Wheat (Soy sauce)