May is also the month of Mother's Day. Things will be different this year. In honor of my mom (and D1's homecoming), the recipe for this month is tea eggs. My mom enjoyed having these to snack on, and D1 loves them too. The picture above is how I would serve the eggs if I was having a potluck. The star anise and stray tea leaves look striking among the bronze-colored eggs. I saw a similar recipe on the internet which called for a cinnamon stick, so I tried making a batch with the cinnamon stick. It was okay, but I prefer it without the cinnamon.
A nice thing about tea eggs is that they don't need any additional seasoning (no need to carry a salt shaker). The eggs are flavored during the simmering. Be prepared for a beautiful surprise when the shells come off.
click on recipe title for printable recipe
6-8 eggs
2 tbsp pu'erh or black tea
1/2 c shoyu
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
3 star anise
1 strip orange peel
Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Gently slip eggs into boiling water and set timer for 11 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare an ice water bath. When timer rings, use a slotted spoon to transfer eggs to ice water. Add remaining ingredients to water in saucepan. Stir to dissolve salt and sugar. When eggs are cool enough to handle, use the back of a spoon to gently crack eggs all over. Do not remove shells. Return cracked eggs to saucepan. Add water to cover eggs by at least 1/2". Simmer eggs for 1 hour. Drain and serve.
