Taiwanese Tea Eggs Done Lucy-Style – March 13, 2009

Jimmy first introduced me to tea eggs a few months after we started dating. We were talking about the different foods we ate as children, and tea eggs came up as one of his favourite snacks. Shocked that I had no idea what tea eggs were, he made a batch for me to eat.

I loved them at first bite.


They were like a milder, more refined version of the eggs from the braised pork dish. Hints of star anise, cloves, and a slight bitterness from the tea leaves emanate from the eggs. The aroma is comforting and reminds me of home, even though I had my first tea egg when I was 19. Strange how that works.

Now, it’s part of my repertoire. Of course, I cheat with store-bought spice bags. Once you’re able to find the spice bags, it’s easy peasy.

Hard boil eggs. Remove eggs and crack the shells lightly with a spoon. Return eggs to pot of water. Add spice bag, a few spoonfuls of soy sauce, and simmer them forever. They’re done when the brown colour has seeped through to the yolk. How can you tell? Take one unsuspecting egg out of the simmering pot, peel it, and take a bite. Is it still too pale? Simmer some more. Not salty enough? Add a little salt. Does it have no flavour? Either let the water boil off a little more, or add some soy sauce.

And th-th-that’s all folks! Home-made tea eggs from a box!