🍽️ Xinyang Tea Omelette

Tea leaves in egg, south Henan.

Xinyang Tea Omelette is a home-style specialty of Xinyang, Henan, a famous tea-growing region where food and tea meet. Fresh tender buds and leaves of Xinyang maojian tea are stir-fried together with beaten eggs, lightly salted and perhaps a pinch of sugar. The eggs turn fluffy and tender while the tea leaves stay emerald green with a fresh, faintly bitter aroma; the egg fragrance carries a refined tea charm, clean and not greasy. It is a seasonal spring dish for hosting guests in the tea country of southern Henan and often appears on menus themed around Xinyang tea. For those used to drinking tea, stir-frying fresh tea into eggs is a delightful way to bring the mountain's clean fragrance onto the dinner table.