Another one of Dwayne’s favourites! We were shopping at an Aeon shopping centre, near Senibong Cove in Malaysia, when Dwayne’s nose led him to a pot of Chinese Tea Eggs simmering away outside a cute little tea shop. The aroma permeating from the pot was a delightful combination of cinnamon, star anise and soy. Not able to pass them by he purchased a few of the eggs and delighted in their taste, for they tasted as delicious as they smelled.

So taken was he by the tea eggs that I had to experiment with making my own. I did a search on the net and found some interesting recipes. I ended blending a couple of ideas and making up my own recipe.  I didn’t like the sweetness of the bought eggs so I omitted the sugar that was in most recipes. Add a 1/2 cup of sugar if you like it sweet.

This is how I made them…

Ingredients

• 10 softboiled eggs

(I boiled the eggs with a little bicarb to help them peel easier. )

• About three cups of water
• 2 Tbs Kecap Asin (or soy sauce)
• 2 Tbs Kecap Manis
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 pods of star anise
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 8 whole cloves
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
• 2 slices of lemon or orange
• the contents of four opened black teabags (I didn’t have any lose tea) NOTE: Lapsang Souchong tea would be great in this recipe but I haven’t been able to find it yet. It would give it a smoky flavour.

Method

Do not peel the boiled eggs, but crack them all over to allow the flavour and colour of the marinade to penetrate them.

Add all ingredients, including eggs, to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer.

I simmer the eggs for about 30 minutes and then I let them sit in the marinade for another 12-18 hours. The longer you leave them in the marinade the more flavour and colour they will have.

They are a handy little snack when sailing and also a nice treat to take to fellow sailors when visiting.

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