SOy-marinated Tea Eggs

FL031: TIME SLIP
November 9, 2020

You find yourself allied with a dozen ducks and chickens. You need ideas for a surplus of eggs.

Point of origin: a slow cooker in a Shanghai bodega

Yield: 6 eggs (repeat as necessary)

YOU WILL NEED

  • 6 eggs, any size (but relatively uniform)

  • 2 cups water

  • 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

  • 2 tablespoons julienned ginger

  • 3 scallions, sliced (alternatively, use a slice of raw onion: as much as you’d put on a hamburger)

  • 3/4 cup soy sauce or tamari

  • 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup

  • optionally: a pinch of black tea leaves, dried chilis, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise and/or a cinnamon stick


 

WHAT TO DO

First, hard boil the eggs:

With a pushpin, pierce a hole in the rounder end of each egg. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the eggs. Set a timer for 8 minutes (small chicken eggs), 10 minutes (large chicken eggs) or 12 minutes (duck eggs), and adjust the heat so the water maintains a gentle simmer.

When the timer goes off, drain the eggs and shake them around the empty pot to crack the shells. Add cold water and let the eggs sit submerged for a few minutes so water seeps through the cracks. Peel them; underwater is easiest.

Make the marinade

Add the garlic, ginger, scallions (or onion), soy sauce and maple syrup (plus any optional seasonings) and stir to combine. Add the eggs and let marinate overnight in the fridge (between 4 and 12 hours).

Remove the eggs and store in a sealed container. Reserve the marinade and reuse for up to 5 days.