One of the things I miss the most about Taiwan is the prevalence of convenience stores, particularly 7-Eleven. There is literally a 7-Eleven on every street corner and one in every train station and airport. These stores really are convenient in every sense of the word. You can get snacks, drinks, cheap meals on-the-go, toiletries, cosmetics, stationary, playing cards and other games, and newspapers and magazines. You can pay your bills at your nearest 7-Eleven, and if you need to fax or make a copy of a document, the clerks at 7-Eleven will gladly help you out with that too.
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| A typical Taiwanese 7-Eleven |
One of the most memorable parts of walking into a 7-Eleven in Taiwan is the wonderful smell of tea eggs that hit your nose. Tea egg 茶葉蛋 (Mandarin: cha ye dan) is a Chinese snack. It is made by boiling an egg, cracking the shell, then simmering it in a broth made of black tea, soy sauce, star anise, and other spices. The tea, soy sauce, and spices mingle to create a party of favors and aroma that are sure to please the senses of taste and smell. It is one of my favorite snacks, and I miss being able to buy a tea egg from 7-Eleven whenever the craving hits. To satisfy my cravings, I finally learned to make this snack at home. And it is surprisingly easy.
You will need: 8-12 eggs, 1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2-3 black tea bags (the ones you use to make ice tea will be fine), 2-3 star anise, 2 tsp Chinese five spice powder, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp sugar, and water.
First, put the eggs into a pot and cover with water.
Cover the pot with a lid. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat and let it continue to boil for about 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat.
Fish the eggs out, one by one. Using the back of a spoon, crack the shell of each egg. This will create the marble effect on the surface of the finished eggs while also allowing flavor to seep in to the eggs. Put the eggs back into the water when finished cracking.
Add the soy sauce, tea bags, star anise, five spice, cinnamon, and sugar to the water. Make sure the liquid covers the eggs. If liquid level is too low, add more water.
Cover the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then turn the heat to low. Let simmer for at least 2 hours. The longer the eggs are simmered, the more flavorful they are.
A batch of these would last over several days. A lot of times, I would eat one as part of my breakfast, in place of a regular hard boiled egg. Usually, I boil and simmer them at least once a day until they are all eaten. The more they are simmered, the darker and more flavorful the eggs get, so the egg that tastes the best is usually the last one. If you boil them long enough, even the yolk will start absorbing some of the flavor.
Here's what an egg looks like after boiling and simmering and soaking over 5 days. Notice that it has a darker coloring than the egg in the first two pictures, which had only been boiling and simmering and soaking for one day. That coloring means flavor, y'all!
Enjoy!
First, put the eggs into a pot and cover with water.
Cover the pot with a lid. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat and let it continue to boil for about 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat.
Fish the eggs out, one by one. Using the back of a spoon, crack the shell of each egg. This will create the marble effect on the surface of the finished eggs while also allowing flavor to seep in to the eggs. Put the eggs back into the water when finished cracking.
Add the soy sauce, tea bags, star anise, five spice, cinnamon, and sugar to the water. Make sure the liquid covers the eggs. If liquid level is too low, add more water.
Cover the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then turn the heat to low. Let simmer for at least 2 hours. The longer the eggs are simmered, the more flavorful they are.
A batch of these would last over several days. A lot of times, I would eat one as part of my breakfast, in place of a regular hard boiled egg. Usually, I boil and simmer them at least once a day until they are all eaten. The more they are simmered, the darker and more flavorful the eggs get, so the egg that tastes the best is usually the last one. If you boil them long enough, even the yolk will start absorbing some of the flavor.
Here's what an egg looks like after boiling and simmering and soaking over 5 days. Notice that it has a darker coloring than the egg in the first two pictures, which had only been boiling and simmering and soaking for one day. That coloring means flavor, y'all!
Enjoy!
