Tea Marbled Eggs
Ingredients
Eggs (one per person)
2 tbsp tamari
2 tbsp loose leaf tea
2 tsp sugar
Method
First of all, ensure that your pan is just big enough to fit your eggs snugly in the bottom. You don't want to leave a lot of empty space here as it'll dilute your soaking liquid, and you also don't want to have your eggs in a double layer.
Once you've done that, put the eggs into cold water and bring to the boil. After they've been boiling for ten minutes, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
When it comes to creating the spiderweb image onto the shells, you can use several different methods. The most important thing to remember is that you are trying to break the shells only, not the membrane in between the shell and the egg. If this is broken, the soaking liquid can leak inside and you won't get a good pattern.
My favourite method is to use the back of a teaspoon to create circular cracks sparingly across the surface of the shell. You can also go for the chaos theory and smack the heck out of it all over, or you can roll it across a hard surface for a very fine mesh effect.
Once you've done this, return the eggs to the saucepan and add the tamari, loose leaf tea and sugar. See below for notes on these ingredients.
Now you need to bring your mixture to the boil, then allow to simmer for around an hour and a half. Once you've done that, drain away the liquid, rinse the eggs and allow to cool so you can peel them. All done!
NOTES
Tamari is a very strong Japanese soy sauce. You could probably substitute this for another very strong soy sauce, or use a larger quantity. I wouldn't try using light soy sauce unless you're after a very light brown stain.
Loose leaf tea is hugely common in the UK but if you're from a country where tea bags are easier to find, then just cut some open. Try using different flavoured teas - but remember, it must be black tea!
You can keep your eggs for a day or so in the fridge, unpeeled (if you can stand the wait to see what the pattern is like!).
During this process, the yolk inside may discolour, but don't worry, it's still okay to eat.
You can add spices to your eggs too, such as star anise and cinnamon. I prefer mine plain!