Pretty Tea Crazed Quail Eggs

Pretty and a bit intriguing, this recipe shows off the diminutive size and unique shell characteristics of these Farmer’s Market finds. Not only are Tea Crazed Quail Eggs delightful to look at, their spicy sweet flavor make them delicious too.

Farmer’s Market Finds

How should I use a dozen beautiful quail eggs? Is there a way to take optimum advantage of their unique attributes? Those questions have been on my mind ever since I first saw these delightful little eggs at the Camas Farmer’s Market several weeks ago.

The diminutive size of quail eggs makes them both precious and cute. The color alone is beautifully appealing. The creamy background of the shell leans toward tan or blue, speckled and splotched with tones of bronzy brown.

Inside, the color of the shell is a soft shade of robin’s egg blue. The yolk is surprisingly large, taking up more comparative volume than the yolk of a chicken egg. This lends a rich flavor to the quail eggs, a flavor very similar to a chicken egg but slightly more so.

Cooking Quail Eggs

At the Reister Farm booth, where I purchased the quail eggs, it was suggested that they would make a terrific omelette. Because they were so fresh (gathered just that morning) I was told they would be particularly fluffy. The suggestion was tempting but, while a fluffy omelette is never a bad way to go, I wanted to try some other things first. I wanted to cook the quail eggs in a way that would show off their cute size and maybe leave some of the shell intact. Hard boiling seemed like an obvious place to start. The trick was working out how much time was required.

After a bit of experimentation I came up with a method that worked well for hard boiling these tiny eggs. Then to carry it one step farther I decided to try a recipe for Tea Eggs. The recipe for Chinese Tea Eggs gives a wonderful marbled appearance to a hard boiled egg while infusing it with a slightly sweet spiciness. I found the result quite intriguing. It gave me just what I was looking for, a unique presentation of the special little eggs I had found.

Of course that was just the beginning…. What about featuring quail eggs in a Sushi Rice Nest with Furikake? Or serving an appetizer-sized Fried Quail Egg Bruschetta? I just love new discoveries!

Tea Crazed Quail Eggs

Course: AppetizersCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 

30

minutes
Resting Time

24

hours

This recipe adds an intriguing spicy sweet flavor to hard boiled quail eggs while enhancing the beauty of their attractive shells. Serve these tiny treats as a unique appetizer, snack or picnic surprise.

Ingredients

  • 6-8 quail eggs

  • 2 cups water

  • 1 teabag of black tea

  • 1 star anise

  • 1/2 stick of cinnamon (2 inches)

  • 2 teaspoons tamari sauce

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Directions

  • To Hard Boil Quail Eggs:
  • Place the eggs, cold from the refrigerator, in a small saucepan. Cover with cool tap water.
    Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Just when it begins to boil, reduce the heat to low.
    Continued to boil for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Immediately rinse eggs in cold water and allow to rest in the cold water until cool.
  • Tea Crazed Eggs:
  • Gently roll the hard boiled quail eggs on the counter top or hit them with the back of spoon so that the shell is gently cracked all over. Try not to break through the membrane just under the shell. Set aside.
  • Place 2 cups of water and the next seven ingredients in a small (2 quart) saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil.
  • Gently place the quail eggs in the mixture and reduce to a low boil.
  • Continue boiling gently for 1 to 2 hours, checking and adding more water occasionally so that the quail eggs are fully immersed at all times.
  • After an hour or so remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool slightly. When cool enough, transfer the mixture to a glass container and refrigerate overnight (or up to several days.)
  • When ready to serve remove the egg from the mixture and rinse. Carefully peel away the shell and serve with salt, pepper and/or five spice powder.

Notes

  • Recipe Source: A blog called Cooking Cute.

Enjoy!

7 Comments

  1. theUngourmet

    These are just wild! I love the tea crazed eggs. The cracks are beautiful. It looks like a work of art!

  2. I just stumbled across your blog while looking for instructions to make a lavender wand (thank you!).

    A few weekends ago I was with my family at Battle Ground Lake kayaking. When we stopped for a picnic, my dad offered the used of the kayaks to another group that was there having a picnic. The group was comprised of several Asian families (Vietnamese?) and they offered us some sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves and "tea eggs". Both were good, and left me wondering how to make them.
    Your "Tea Crazed Quail Eggs" has given me a great place to start — they looked just like these (except they were chicken eggs).

    Thank you!!

  3. Great post and the eggs are beautiful!

  4. Beautiful Pictures! They almost look like they are snake skin.

  5. The Cutting Edge of Ordinary

    Gorgeous eggs! I'm jealous I want some!

  6. What a great post, Lisa. I love the colors and pattern on the egg and its shell. Terrific photos.

  7. i find this to be a really fascinating creation, lisa. not only does the preparation sound like it'd yield some tasty results, but i'm still just smitten with that shell–so awesome!

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