Tea Eggs

Ingredients:

6 eggs
2 tablespoons premium dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon (or more) black tea leaves
4 pieces star anises
small strip of dried mandarin peel
Around 6 cups of water (will vary according to pot sizes)

Directions:

1. Place unshelled eggs in pot of cold water - cold water should just about cover eggs. Bring water to a boil, then simmer for 2 minutes.

2. Remove the eggs. With a knife, tap each egg to slightly crack the shells in two or three places.

3. In the same pot, add all the other ingredients, stir, cover and simmer for 2 hours, adding water when necessary. Drain, serve eggs hot or cold. Enjoy!

Chinese Spring Onion Pancakes (Makes 4)

Found a recipe for Spring Onion pancakes in one of my recipe books, so I decided to try it out for dinner tonight.

Recipe is as follows:

Adapted from Chinese Snacks by Huang Su-Huei

Dough:

2 1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup boiling water

1/4 cold water

Filling:

3 tbs chopped green onions

1/4 tbs vegetable oil or any other type of oil

around 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. To create dough, add boiling water to flour and mix. Then add in cold water and mix again until smooth. Set aside for 20 minutes. Remove the dough and knead on a lightly oiled surface until dough is smooth and elastic.

2. Divide dough into 4 equal parts.

3. On a flat surface, prepare the surface by rolling a piece of plastic wrap. On top of plastic wrap, take a piece of dough and press down with hands to create a round shape. (The plastic wrap makes it easier for cleaning up)

4. Brush the dough lightly with oil, sprinkle salt and green onions.

5. Fold both sides over to the center, lightly flatten, and then roll one end over to form a snail shaped dough. Flatten the dough into a round shape. It is not necessary for a perfect round shape since the pancakes are cut into quarters when serving. Take your rolling pin and roll until dough is thin. Repeat with the other pieces of dough.

6. Heat a skillet and add enough oil to coat the skillet. Stir-fry the pancakes until both sides are golden; remove.

To Serve: Cut each pancakes into quarters and serve on a plate. Enjoy!