Chinese Marbled Tea Eggs

6 eggs
3/4 cup soy sauce
2 star anise
2 tablespoons black tea (or 2 tea bags)
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorn (optional)
2 strips dried tangerine or mandarin orange peel (optional)

Gently place the eggs in a medium pot and fill with water to cover the eggs by 1-inch. Bring the
pot to a boil, lower the heat and let simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the eggs (leaving the water in
the pot) and let cool under running cool water. Using the back of the teaspoon, gently tap the
eggshell to crack the shell all over. The more you tap, the more intricate the design. Do this with
a delicate hand to keep the shell intact. To the same pot with the boiling water, return the eggs
and add in the remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil and immediately turn the heat to
low. Simmer for 40 minutes, cover with lid and let eggs steep for a few hours to overnight. The
longer you steep, the more flavorful and deeply marbled the tea eggs will be. Mom likes to steep
overnight.
Serves 4-6

Source: http://steamykitchen.com/2147-chinese-tea-eggs-recipe.html