Chinese Tea Eggs 桂花茶葉蛋

Tea Eggs are most Chinese's childhood favourite, especially the older generation. It's basically tea and soy spiced eggs. It can be eaten as a snack, as a side with rice or soup noodles, sometimes even as a dish itself on the dinner table. It's usually made with chicken eggs but quail eggs can be really nice because of the delicate texture. There are many ways to make them, and for most people the best tea eggs come from grandma or that one little alley shop in their hometown.

每隔一段時間就會很想念茶葉蛋的味道。今天試了一下用足材料做出來，還額外加了桂花 － 真的好香喔！

Ingredients:
10  Eggs (or as many as desired, or quail eggs)
Marinade: 2 to 3: Star anise, Bay leaves, Nutmeg, Cloves
                        1: Cinnamon stick, Dried tangerine peel 
 a small handful: Sichuan pepper
              a pinch: Cumin seed, Licorice
                 a few: Dried Shiitake mushrooms (soak over night)
          half a cup: Chinese yellow wine, Dried cassia blossom

The above marinade ingredients are optional, each adds to the flavour but it's fine if a few are missing. I didn't use Licorice as I don't like the flavour and added dried cassia blossom for its light floral scent. The below are, however, essential:

   a small chunk: Ginger (about the size of a thumb, crush with a knife or wooden spoon)
         half a cup: Light soy sauce (or Chinese Marinade)
          a handful: Rock sugar (can substitute with other sugar but will be less clean tasting)
               3 tbsp: Pu-erh tea (other black tea or even tea bags can be used, but Pu-erh gives it more   
                           colouring and is the most traditional taste)

Directions:
1. Boil eggs (5-7min) then soak in cold water (this will help the shell come off easier). Gently crack eggs when cool enough to handle.
2. Mix all marinating ingredients in pot with 4 cups of water(less if making less eggs), simmer until rock sugar melts, taste - it should be just a little too salty - like a gravy. Add soysauce or water if needed.
3. Put eggs in pot (liquid should cover eggs) and simmer for 30mins, then turn off the stove and leave overnight. (Or keep cooking for 2hours then the eggs will be ready to eat.)

Notes:
1. Eggs can be kept in fridge for up to 5 days if left in sealed container and soaked in marinade.
2. Don't use high heat when cooking the eggs, they tend to crack and break. 
3. Dry marinade ingredients can go in a soup bag, it helps keep the juice clean.
4. If use quail eggs, cooking time should be shorter. 
5. This marinade is also very good for meat.


食材：
雞蛋（或鵪鶉蛋，多少只都行）
調味：八角，香葉，丁香，豆蔻  2到3顆
            桂皮，陳皮  1塊
            花椒  適量
            茴香，甘草  少許
            干冬菇  幾朵，泡發
            花雕，桂花  半杯

以上調味不一定要都找齊，每種都會增加風味但是少了幾樣也是可以的，我沒有用甘草（不喜歡那味道）而加了清香的桂花。但是以下的材料是不可少的：

           薑  一小塊，拍碎
           醬油（或鹵水汁）半杯
           冰糖  一把
           普洱茶葉  3湯匙 （其他的紅茶也可以，不過普洱上色最好而且味道最正）

做法：
1，蛋煮熟後浸入冷水（吃的時候蛋殻易剝），冷卻後稍稍敲碎蛋殻。
2，所有調料放入鍋中，加4杯水煮至冰糖融化，試味 － 稍咸就好，像醬汁一樣。需要的話加些水或醬油。
3，蛋入鍋中小火煮30分鐘後熄火，浸泡一晚。（或小火煮2小時可以直接吃）

提示：
1，蛋浸在滷汁里可以冷藏5天。
2，不要用大火煮蛋，會很容易裂。
3，干的調味可以放進湯包。
4，如果用鵪鶉蛋煮食時間要相應減少。
5，滷汁用來滷肉也會很好吃 ：）