Tea Infused Easter Eggs

An interesting twist to Easter Eggs

Tea Infused Easter eggs are set to make an appearance this Easter, and if you are wondering what they are, the answer is simple: They are hard boiled eggs cooked in tea leaves. They come out tasting like they have been injected with wonderfully flavorful herbs and spices, and the cracked egg even leaves a beautiful marble effect coating on the egg itself.

If you are not really a big fan of chocolate but don’t want to feel left out of the egg-eating festivities this Easter then, the tea infused Easter eggs are a great alternative for you. They have a salty yet flavourful taste and look great as a well as taste fantastic.

More of a traditional Asian Easter snack, tea infused Easter eggs (also known as Marbled Eggs) come in a variety of colours and flavours, and each person will have their own recipe which they find the most appealing. If you have never tried these before, then you either buying some pre-prepared tea eggs or making some yourself is a great way of experimenting with new tastes in eggs, an often overlooked ingredient.

The types of tea used in these types of Easter eggs can vary – some people use tea leaves, and some use tea bags of different varieties, but black tea bags and leaves are the best to use as the flavour is not too astringent. Different types of tea is not the only thing that can add colour and flavour to the eggs, as dashes of salt, star anise, cinnamon, five spice, or liquorice are often found in tea Easter eggs recipes.

How to make tea infused Easter eggs

The important thing to remember about tea eggs, are they take a long time to prepare and taste best when simmered over several hours. For the perfect set of tea eggs, you first need to place a dozen eggs in a pot, add water, bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes.

Allow the eggs to cool, and once they are cool enough to handle, gently crack the shells by rolling them lightly across a paper towel softly tapping them with the back of a spoon. The more cracks in the shells, the better the marbled effect; however take care not to crack them so much that the shell comes away from the egg.

Place the eggs in a large pot, then cover the eggs with water and add 2 tea bags, a dash of salt and a teaspoon of five spice or 1 star anise.  Cook on a mid-heat for 30 minutes, and then allow to simmer for up to 2 hours. Constantly turn the eggs so that each part is in contact with the tea water. After 2 hours, take the pot off the heat and let the eggs cool in the liquid. Once cool, drain away the water and keep the eggs in their shells – serve with salad!

Find more recipes for Easter eggs on Recipebridge.