TEA EGGS BY JOYCE CHEN - A SHANGHAI DELICACY
Features: Joyce Chen Double Black Soy Sauce, Joyce Chen Star Anise
This popular Shanghai dish, served on the streets there and in homes, has a darker color and fuller flavor thanks to Joyce Chen Double Black Soy Sauce. In her groundbreaking 1962 cookbook, Joyce Chen said,
"There are two kinds of soy sauce one, which is light colored and a little salty to the taste is for table use. The dark colored is for cooking... The dark soy sauce gives a bright dark brown color..."
"... Sometimes poor soy sauce can spoil the whole dish. I bottle my own special mixture for my cooking school. All my recipes are based on this kind of soy sauce."
Joyce Chen in “Joyce Chen Cook Book” published in 1962 by J. B. Lippincott Company
Ingredients
12 to 18 eggs (small or medium)
3 tablespoons Joyce Chen Double Black Soy Sauce
3 tablespoons black tea or 6 tablespoons of used tea leaves
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon Joyce Chen Star Anise
Equipment Needed
- Large saucepan or heavy pot
- Platter
Directions
- Hard boil the eggs about 25 minutes starting in cold water over medium flame.Cool eggs in cold water for few minutes, and make cracks on the shells by rolling them firmly on the table.
- Put the cracked eggs and all the other ingredients in a large saucepan or heavy pot. Add enough water to cover.
- Cook and simmer for 1 hour or more.
Serve hot or cold on a platter.
(Note - Never shell the eggs before serving. The shell keeps them moist. The cracks on the eggshells make a beautiful design on egg whites like the cracks on antique porcelain.)
