Marbled Coca-Cola Eggs

Christmas is indeed the most wonderful time of the year. It's the only time when G takes over the kitchen and prepares Christmas lunch, leaving me in charge of desserts. It's relatively stress-free for me, although I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that my maiden attempt at baking a red velvet cake tomorrow will be successful. For now, I decided to make some marbled Coke eggs, which are actually hard-boiled eggs which have been simmered and steeped in a Coke and soy "broth" for a few hours. The marbled effect is created by cracking the shell of the hard-boiled eggs all over before simmering them in Coke. The eggs would have absorbed a mildly sweet flavour with a hint of soy, depending on how long the eggs are left in the Coke. These can be served warm or at room temperature, and are great for picnics, parties or just a snack for the kids at home. And they look quite pretty too!

Marbled Coca-Cola Eggs

Ingredients

5 eggs
2 cups Coke (try to use the real thing, and not the sugar-free kind)
3-4 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce (for colour, optional)
1 star anise
1 inch cinnamon stick

Method

Place eggs in a small pot / saucepan and fill up with water until eggs are submerged. Place on the stove and heat until water comes to a boil. Use a spoon to move the eggs around occasionally so that the yolks stay in the centre of the egg. Let it boil for about 3-5 minutes. The eggs should be semi-hard-boiled. Turn off the flame, discard the water and place the eggs in bowl of cold tap water to let them cool. Using the back of a tablespoon, tap the eggshell all over to create cracks that are deep enough without the shells breaking off in pieces.

Meanwhile, place the rest of the ingredients in the same pot (without the water) and bring to a boil. Place the eggs in the pot, ensuring that they are fully submerged. Add more Coke if necessary. Simmer gently on low heat, covered, for 2 hours. Turn off the heat and let it steep for a few more hours, or overnight in the fridge. To serve, remove the eggs from the liquid and carefully peel off the shell. Discard the liquid. Serve the eggs warm, cold or at room temperature.