How to make Chinese tomato and egg stir-fry

Stir-fried tomatoes and eggs are a popular Chinese dish—and a good kitchen challenge.

Stir-fried tomato with scrambled eggs is a quintessential Chinese dish—and a challenge to make.

Nearly every cafeteria in China serves it, and almost every family has their own recipe.

It’s really just two ingredients—tomato and eggs—but timing makes all the difference between a dry tomato omelet and a creamy, juicy stir-fry.

Ideally, the tomatoes lend their flavor as they cook. It’s important to get ripe, juicy tomatoes or else the dish will taste bland.

If the tomatoes aren’t saucy enough, try crushing them in the pan with the edge of a spatula.

The eggs should have a soft consistency. In order to achieve that, they should be flash scrambled for less than 15 seconds.

(Read more: A foolproof recipe for cola chicken wings)

The final dish can be served over rice, noodles, and even potatoes. It’s quite versatile, which is why it’s a favorite among Chinese households.

Some people even like to add a dash of ketchup for extra tomato flavor.

Here’s a recipe that we had our producer Hanley try. You can follow along in the video above (although his stir-fry did turn out a little dry).

Recipe

 

• 5 eggs
• 3 teaspoons of salt
• 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon of water
• 1 scallion, with white and green parts diced and separated
• 4 ripe medium tomatoes, quartered
• 3 teaspoons of sugar

 

1. Whisk the eggs, and add salt, wine, water, and oil.
2. Heat up a pan to medium-high heat. Add in the white part of the scallions, and cook until aromatic.
3. Add in the eggs, and cook for 10 to 15 seconds while stirring. Remove from heat immediately.
4. Heat up a clean pan to medium-high heat. Add in the tomatoes and sugar, and stir-fry for 5 minutes until the tomato breaks down.
5. Add in the eggs, mix them together, and then turn off heat.
6. Garnish with green part of the scallions and serve.