Tea Eggs (Chá Yè Dàn)

Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan. Cover with cold water by 2 cm. Bring to a full boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, cover and remove from heat. Let stand for exactly 10 minutes, then transfer to an ice bath for 5 minutes. The eggs should be fully hard-boiled with no grey ring at the yolk — they will be simmered further and need to start fully cooked.

Using the back of a spoon, tap each egg all over its surface to create a fine network of cracks through the shell. The goal is to crack the shell without removing it — the shell must stay on to hold its shape during simmering. Cracks should be dense and close-set across the entire surface, like a cracked glaze on a ceramic piece.

Combine the strong black tea, both soy sauces, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, Sichuan peppercorns, sugar, and mandarin peel in a pot large enough to hold all the eggs in one layer. Bring to a simmer and add the cracked eggs. Simmer gently for 20 minutes — the shells should not bounce around. Remove from heat, let cool to room temperature in the liquid, then refrigerate in the braising liquid for a minimum of 4 hours, or overnight for the deepest color and flavor.

Peel each egg under cold running water, removing the shell fragments and the inner membrane together. The revealed surface should show a striking marble pattern: dark brown-black staining along every crack line set against the pale amber of the stained egg white. Serve whole or halved, at room temperature or cold.