Categories: Cheese/eggs, Chinese 
      Yield: 12 servings 
  
      2 c  Very strong black tea                    From fireplace 
    1/3 c  Salt                                1 c  Lime* 
      2 c  Each ashes of pine wood,           12    Fresh duck eggs 
           Ashes of charcoal and ashes     
  
      These are often called thousand-year eggs, even though the preserving 
  process lasts only 100 days. They may be purchased individually in Oriental 
  markets. 
   
      Combine tea, salt, ashes and lime. Using about 1/2 cup per egg, thickly 
  coat each egg completely with this clay-like mix- ture. Line a large crock 
  with garden soil and carefully lay coated eggs on top. Cover with more soil 
  and place crock in a cool dark place. Allow to cure for 100 days. To remove 
  coating, scrape eggs and rinse under running water to clean thoroughly. 
   Crack lightly and remove shells. The white of the egg will appear a 
  grayish, translucent color and have a gelatinous texture. The yolk, when 
  sliced, will be a grayish-green color. 
   
      To serve, cut into wedges and serve with: 
   
      Sweet pickled scallions or any sweet pickled vegetable 
   
      Sauce of 2 tablespoons each vinegar, soy sauce and rice wine and 1 
  tablespoon minced ginger root. 
   
      *Available in garden stores and nurseries. 
   
      The description of the whites turning grayish isn't quite accurate from 
  the ones I've seen. They're more a dark blackish amber color-- quite 
  attractive actually. 
   
      From "The Regional Cooking of China" by Margret Gin and Alfred E. 
  Castle, 101 Productions, San Francisco, 1975.