Commonly sold by street vendors or in night markets in most Chinese communities throughout the world,[1] it is also served in Asian restaurants.

A commonly used spice for flavoring tea eggs is Chinese five-spice powder, which contains ground cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds, cloves and Sichuan pepper.

[citation needed] In the traditional method of preparation, eggs are boiled until they reach a hardened, cooked state.

After about ten minutes, the cracked eggs are ready to be put into the prepared spiced-tea liquid and simmered over medium heat.

This simmering allows the spiced fluid to seep into the cracks and marinate the eggs inside their shells.

Five-spice powder adds a savory, slightly salty tone to the egg white, and the tea brings out the yolk's flavor.

[citation needed] In Indonesia, tea eggs have been adopted into native Indonesian cuisine as telur pindang and the ingredients have also been slightly changed.

[5] Telur pindang (the Malaysian variation of the tea egg recipe) is said to have its roots in the state of Johor, where the cuisine is most popular, but it can also be found in other parts of the Malay Peninsula.

Telur pindang is an occasional cuisine, requiring time and resource-consuming work, and would only be served on special occasions such as weddings.