Deviled Chinese Tea Eggs with Spicy Mayo

Sarah from Simply Cooked was our November Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to create something truly unique in both taste and technique! We learned how to cook using tea with recipes from Tea Cookbook by Tonia George and The New Tea Book by Sara Perry.

This summer, as usual, I didn't get my act together to book a proper vacation. It was late July by the time I started looking into vacation rentals and of course by then all the good options were taken. We decided to make the best of it and take a staycation. We do live just outside Boston, after all, and there's no lack of things to see and do here, especially in the summer.

So one August day we hopped on the T and headed downtown. We had plans to walk around Faneuil Hall, visit the Aquarium, and walk part of the Freedom Trail. I'd made lunch reservations and even thought about where to grab a snack (no longer a no-brainer ever since Beard Papa's shut down).

Chinese tea eggs

On our way to Faneuil Hall, I spotted the food trucks, right there in City Hall Plaza. And not just any old foods trucks. There was the Bon Me food truck, winner of the 2010 Boston Food Truck competition! Of course I had to have a taste.

We tried to be reasonable, since it was pretty close to lunch time. So we ordered the Deviled Tea Eggs. Oh my goodness. I love a good deviled egg any time. But top it with spicy mayo, scallions and aleppo pepper and you've just taken me over the top.

So when I saw that this month's Daring Cook's challenge was to cook with tea, I knew exactly what I was going to make.

Chinese tea eggshell

Chinese tea eggs are a common snack in China. The eggs are first boiled until cooked. You remove the eggs from the water and gently tap them to create small cracks all over the shells. Then you simmer them in a spiced tea liquid. I used regular Tetley black tea for my eggs. The spice came from Chinese five-spice powder, a blend of ground cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds, cloves, and Schezuan peppercorns.

Making Chinese tea eggs is easier than you'd think, given their beautiful, marbled appearance. The tea doesn't make a huge impact in terms of flavor. But the presentation is spectacular.

Slice and eat them with a little salt and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Or take them a step further, like I did, and transform them into the most beautiful deviled eggs you'll ever eat.

Put your eggs in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for twelve minutes.

Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and keep the cooking water simmering. With a spoon, tap the eggs all over until they are covered with small cracks. (Or you can tap and roll the eggs very gently on the counter.)

Add the tea leaves or bags, Chinese five spice powder, and salt to the simmering water.

Gently place the eggs back in the water. Cover the pot and simmer for one hour, over gentle heat. Then turn off the heat and let the eggs cool down in the liquid for 30 minutes.

Remove the eggs from the liquid. Peel the eggs. Marvel at the beautiful pattern on the eggs and on the inside of the shells. Allow the eggs to cool fully. You can simply slice the eggs and serve them with a sprinkle of salt and toasted sesame seeds.

 If you'd like to turn the eggs into deviled eggs, slice eggs in half, lengthwise.

Carefully scoop out the yolks, place them in a bowl, and mash them up.

Combine mayonnaise, butter, mustard, cayenne pepper, and salt and black pepper in a separate bowl.

Add the mashed yolks to the mayonnaise mixture. Mix to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings.

In a separate bowl, add the ingredients for the spicy mayo: mayonnaise, Sriracha, and salt.

Mix until combined.

To assemble the deviled eggs, take a small spoon and scoop up the egg yolk mixture. Carefully place it into the hollows of the cooked egg whites. (For a nicer presentation, you can put the egg-yolk mixture into a pastry bag or plastic bag with a corner cut off and pipe the yolks into the eggs.) Top each egg with a small dollop of spicy mayo. Sprinkle with chopped scallions, toasted sesame seeds, and some cayenne.

Serve!

Deviled Chinese Tea Eggs with Spicy Mayo

6 Chinese tea eggs, fully cooled (see recipe, below)

3 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup spicy mayo (see recipe, below)

chopped scallions, for garnish

toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

1.      Slice eggs in half, lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the yolks and place them in a bowl. Arrange the whites on a plate.

2.      Finely mash the egg yolks. Add mayonnaise, butter, mustard, cayenne pepper, and salt and black pepper. Mix to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings.

3.      With a small spoon, scoop up egg yolk mixture and place it into the hollows of the cooked egg whites. For a nicer presentation, you can put the egg-yolk mixture into a pastry bag or plastic bag with a corner cut off and pipe the yolks into the eggs.

4.      Top each egg with a small dollop of spicy mayo.

5.      Sprinkle with chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

Makes 12 deviled eggs.

Chinese Tea Eggs

6 eggs (any size)

2 Tbsp black tea leaves or 4 tea bags

2 tsp Chinese five spice powder

1 Tbsp coarse grain salt

toasted sesame seeds, to garnish

1.      In a large enough pot to avoid overcrowding, cover the eggs with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for twelve minutes.

2.      Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and keep the cooking water.

3.      With a spoon, tap the eggs all over until they are covered with small cracks. This can also be done by tapping and rolling the eggs very gently on the counter.

4.      Return the eggs to the pan and add the tea leaves or bags, Chinese five spice powder, and salt. Cover the pan.

5.      Heat gently and simmer, covered, for one hour.

6.      Remove the pan from the heat and let the eggs cool down in the liquid for 30 minutes.

7.      Remove the eggs from the liquid. Peel one egg to check how dark it is; the others can be returned to the liquid if you wish to have the web-like pattern darker. Allow the eggs to cool fully.

8.      To serve, peel and slice the eggs in halves or quarters. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Makes 6 eggs

Spicy Mayo

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp Sriracha

salt, to taste

1.      Place ingredients in a bowl. Mix well to combine.

Makes 1/4 cup