I love infusing tea in savory dishes and the flavor combination of ripe puerh and mushrooms is a no-brainer. Earthy, woodsy and deep, bold, savory notes work perfectly together. Does this remind you of fall? While the rest of the northern hemisphere is enjoying the last weeks of summer, here in San Francisco we can’t wait for Fogust (fog+August) and its gray skies and chilly temperatures to be over. The good news is, from September on, we will have our fair share of summer too! Yay! 

So let me snuggle up with these delicious Korean steamed eggs while I bid adieu to Fogust and get ready for San Francisco summer! I love the combination of puerh tea, mushrooms and miso and you’ll love it too if you like umami, deeply savory flavors. A similar savory egg custard dish is popular in Japan too and actually, the first time I had it was at a Japanese restaurant (topped with crab, yum!). It’s called Chawanmushi. I haven’t seen tea used in traditional recipes but you know me, I like to play around and experiment with flavor and it works really well! This recipe makes a great breakfast, lunch (with a side of salad) or even a fancy appetizer for dinner and it comes together in no time.

Korean steamed eggs with puerh tea and miso

Yields 2 servings

Ingredients:
2 eggs
¼ cup water
A pinch of salt
5 gr shou puerh tea
½ teaspoon miso paste
Mixed mushrooms of choice
1 clove of garlic
1 sprig of thyme
Extra virgin olive oil
Everything bagel seasoning

Method:
Start by brewing the tea, you’ll need it to be cool before mixing it with the eggs. Steep the puerh tea in ¼ cup hot water (200F) for 10 minutes. Strain. Dissolve miso paste in the tea and set aside to cool. Meanwhile saute the mushrooms in a skillet with olive oil, garlic and thyme until soft and crispy around the edges. Set aside.

In a bowl mix the eggs with the cooled puerh and miso mixture. Add a pinch of salt. Don’t whisk the mixture. You don’t want to incorporate air because it’s easier to achieve a smoother texture in the final dish. Divide into 2 heat-safe ramekins. 

Fill a pot with water so that it comes halfway up the ramekins. Bring to a boil, then carefully drop in the ramekins, bring it back to a soft boil, cover and steam 5-8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and a sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning. Close the lid and steam 5-8 more minutes until set. The texture should be silky smooth but don’t worry if yours have a bubble pattern on the inside (one of mine did), next time try to keep the pot on a very soft boil. It definitely doesn’t affect the flavor! It reminds me of the texture of a sweet flan...Yum!

Inspiration for my recipe comes from here.

Do you like infusing tea in savory recipes? Let me know in the comments below!