Even if you didn't grow up eating tomato egg stiry fry, this may quickly become a go to quick meal. Packed full of protein from fluffy scrambled eggs mixed with silky sweet and savory tomatoes, this classic Chinese dish cooks in 15 minutes or less.
In this quintessential homestyle Chinese dish, the stir-fry becomes soupy when the juices are gently coaxed out of fresh tomatoes.
Serve this classic dish with Make Ahead Chilled Chinese Broccoli, vegan mapo tofu, or smashed cucumbers.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- There are just 6 easy to find ingredients in this basic recipe. You may already have all of them on hand.
- Beside some minimal chopping of vegetables, this dish cooks in 15 minutes or less. Feed hungry mouths in no time!
- Enjoy scrambled eggs in a completely different way from the usual American breakfast. Have these eggs for a quick, protein packed lunch or dinner.
Basic Ingredients
In the most basic recipe that captures the essence of this dish, you just need 6 simple ingredients.
- Eggs - I use large size, pasture-raised eggs. Any size will work though for this recipe.
- Ripe tomatoes - Ripe tomatoes are essential to enjoying the true tomato flavor of this dish. If you don't have ripe tomatoes, see the list of optional seasoning ingredients below.
- Green Onion - The white and green part of the onions should be separated because they cook at different times. The white part will be cooked gently to flavor the tomatoes while the green part will be used for garnish before serving.
- Salt - You could also use soy sauce, but in this most basic version of this dish, plain old salt works just great.
- Sugar - This is the key ingredient that balances out the salt. It doesn't make the dish sweet, per se like candy, but brings out the natural sweetness of the tomatoes.
- Oil - Use a neutral flavored cooking oil with a high smoke point, such avocado, expeller pressed canola, or grapeseed. Olive oil would not be traditionally Chinese but would still be an excellent option and add great flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
Ripe tomatoes make a big difference
If you have ripe tomatoes, you don't need to do much to them except add salt and sugar to season this stir fry. A ripe tomato doesn't need assistance. It can star in a salad, sing in a side dish, and carry the symphony in a sauce.
Ripe tomatoes don't play second billing to the main protein. They shine alongside the eggs in this stir fry and exemplify the harmony of Chinese cuisine.
Whereas Thai cuisine might be more about contrasts between sweet/salty/spicy flavors, Chinese dishes seek to unify the ingredients into harmonious whole, with no individual peeking out more than the others
What about Ketchup?
If you don't have ripe tomatoes, this is where ketchup and other ingredients come into play.
Ketchup is good. Ketchup is tasty. Ketchup can save the day.
Most tomatoes from the grocery store are not very ripe. They're not even very red.
I think that's why so many recipes for Chinese tomato egg stir fry use ketchup. To rescue the unripened ones from the grocery store so they exude more tomato flavor.
If unripe tomatoes are all you have, then you may want to try adding ketchup and other seasoning ingredients.
Optional Seasoning Ingredients
If you don't have ripe tomatoes, or you just want to have fun with this dish, you can add any or all of these optional ingredients.
- Ketchup - Does ketchup make anything not taste good? Add if you don't have ripe tomatoes. A dab of tomato paste would also work if you don't have ketchup.
- Ginger - Adds a peppery bite and ginger kick.
- Garlic - Another ingredient to add earthiness to the stir fry.
- Sesame Oil - A drizzle on top of the finished eggs adds a nice aroma and nuttiness to the dish.
- Rice Wine - Also known as Shaoxing rice wine, this gives dish that characteristic aroma of Chinese food. It adds acidity and gives the sauce greater complexity.
- Rice Vinegar - Also punches up the acidity of the dish, to heighten the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Chives - Thinner and gives a little more elegant looking garnish than green onions.
- Soy Sauce - Instead of the plain flavor of salt, you could add soy sauce for a different type of salty flavor. The color also gives the sauce a darker tint.
- Vegetable Stock - Ripe tomatoes are juicy. If you don't have ripe tomatoes, there won't be much juicy running out of the tomatoes as they cook. Add vegetable stock so the pan doesn't get dry and you have more of a wet sauce with the tomatoes and eggs in the pan.
I put these ingredients as optional because I don't like recipes with a long list of ingredients that you don't actually need. The basic seasoning in this recipe is the salt and sugar.
All the rest of these optional ingredients are fun to play with, but don't feel like you're missing out if you don't have them.
Instructions
Slice the green onion, keeping the white and green part of the onion separated since they will be used at different times.
Cut the tomatoes into ½ - 1" wedges.
Heat a nonstick or well seasoned pan to medium heat and add the oil. The oil should shimmer and slide around the pan easily if its hot.
Add the beaten eggs to the pan. Let it sit until you see cooked edges and bubbles appear from the heat of the pan.
Use a heatsafe spatula to gently move the eggs around until there is no wet liquid left.
Just when all the wet liquid has cooked, turn off the heat and remove the eggs from the pan. Avoid overcooking the eggs so they don't get dry.
Using the same pan, add the oil and white part of the green onion. Sizzle for 30 seconds to a minute over medium heat to cook the green onion.
Add the tomatoes to the pan. Raise the heat to medium high. Add the salt and sugar.
If you have optional seasoning ingredients like ginger and garlic, also add those to the pan.
Cook for 3-5 minutes while stirring. The edges of the tomato will start to break down but you should still see defined wedges of tomatoes.
Add the cooked eggs to the pan. Gently break them up while stirring.
Top with the reserved green onion and serve hot.
Top Tip: When scrambling the eggs, avoid stirring too much so you get fluffy large curds of eggs rather than crumbled, runny eggs.
Substitutions
- If you don't have fresh, ripe tomatoes, you can also try this dish using canned chopped tomatoes with the juice and all. Just avoid overcooking, so the tomatoes don't completely dissolve into a pureed sauce.
- Soy Sauce - Sub this for the salt, if you prefer a darker, deeper sauce,
- Use regular onion or shallots if you don't have green onion. You just won't have a green garnish to top off at the end.
Variations
There are so many different directions you could go with this to make it your own. In addition to the optional seasoning ingredients, you could try the following.
- Spicy - Add a teaspoon of your favorite chili sauce, like sriracha sauce, with the other seasoning ingredients.
- Green Veggies - Stir in a handful or two of baby spinach leaves just before you add the eggs back into the pan. This isn't so traditional, but you will have your side of green veggies taken care of. You could also stir in a handful of frozen peas or corn for extra texture.
Equipment
While this is traditionally made in a wok, any well seasoned pan or nonstick pan will work for making this recipe.
I used a nonstick 10" skillet made by Oxo in these photos.
Storage
Should you have any leftovers, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Avoid freezing since it will disrupt the delicate texture of the scrambled eggs and fresh tomatoes.
Helpful Tips
- Use the ripest, fresh tomatoes that you can find! Summer ripe, heirloom tomatoes work really nicely in this dish.
- You can also crack the eggs right into the pan and scramble them while cooking instead of whisking them separately beforehand.
- Take care not to overcook the eggs. Remove from the pan when they are still wet and shiny, rather than completely dried out.
- Use a nonstick pan, seasoned wok, or seasoned cast iron pan for easy cleanup of the scrambled eggs.
- After the eggs are cooked, you can wipe out the pan but there is no need to wash it before cooking the tomatoes.
Recipe
Chinese Egg and Tomato Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon cooking oil
- 4 ea eggs, beaten I used size large eggs but any size will work in this recipe
- 1 lb tomatoes, cut into ½-1" inch wedges about 2 beefsteak tomatoes or 4 roma tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt or 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 ea green onion sliced with white and green parts separated
Optional Seasoning Ingredients - Add any of the following
- 1 Tb ketchup and/or rice wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil, minced ginger, minced garlic, and/or rice vinegar
- ¼ c vegetable stock Increase to ½ a cup if you like a soupier consistency
- chopped chives
Instructions
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a non-stick pan to medium heat. Add beaten eggs and let sit in the pan until you see the edges start to cook. Stir gently until the eggs are no longer runny. Avoid overstirring so you get large, fluffy curds.
- Remove eggs to a separate plate or bowl. (You can add it to the same bowl you beat the eggs in.) Remove as much of the egg as possible, since you will use the same pan to cook the tomatoes.
- Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the same pan to medium high heat. Add the white part of the green onion and saute for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add tomato wedges, sugar, and salt to the pan.
- If you are using any of the optional seasoning ingredients, add them to the pan now.
- Cook the tomatoes for 3-5 minutes until the tomatoes start breaking down, but some large pieces of tomato still remain.
- Add the eggs back into the pan and stir to combine over medium heat. Top with the green part of the green onion for garnish. Serve hot with rice.
Notes
- Use the ripest, fresh tomatoes that you can find! Summer ripe, heirloom tomatoes work really nicely in this dish.
- You can also crack the eggs right into the pan and scramble them while cooking instead of whisking them separately beforehand.
- Take care not to overcook the eggs. Remove from the pan when they are still wet and shiny, rather than completely dried out.
- Use a nonstick pan, seasoned wok, or seasoned cast iron pan for easy cleanup of the scrambled eggs.
- After the eggs are cooked, you can wipe out the pan but there is no need to wash it before cooking the tomatoes.
- For a spicy variation, add a teaspoon or two of your favorite hot sauce or chili sauce at the end.
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Nutrition
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Food safety
- Eggs should be cooked to a minimum temperature of 160 °F (71 °C) per the USDA Safe Minimum Internal Termperature Chart.
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw eggs.
- Wash hands after touching raw eggs.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
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