Sweet, savory and slightly gingery with loads of fresh tomatoes, fluffy scrambled eggs and sauce to drown your rice in – Chinese tomato and egg stir fry is the ultimate Asian comfort food.
Chinese tomato and egg stir fry is one the biggest comfort foods ever. It’s warm and cozy, it’s easy to make, and if you are Asian then your parents have probably made this for you as a quick and easy dinner at one point in your life so this dish reminds you of home.
When my dad used to make this for me as a kid, I absolutely loved the flavor of the ginger and how well it meshed with the tomato-y sauce and the eggs. Now that I am older, I am noticing that the ginger is not a common ingredient in this dish but I can’t seem to figure out why – it’s definitely a wonderful addition to give this dish a little something something.
INGREDIENTS
For this tomato and egg stir fry recipe, all ingredients can be found at a local grocery store.
There is no right or wrong type of tomato to use for this dish, it works with any type of tomatoes. I like to use baby tomatoes occasionally because I find them a bit more flavorful and sweeter. The downside to this is, there is a lot more tomato skin to eat.
I usually make this dish a lot near the end of the Summer time as well because that’s when I find that I have a huge surplus of tomatoes from the garden and it’s usually around the time when comfort food kicks in as well 🙂
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
SCRAMBLED EGGS
Although the sauce and the tomatoes are supposed to be the star of this recipe, I personally think the egg can also be a big part of flavoring this dish and most time is often neglected or very bland.
It’s important to season the egg well! These pillow-y eggs along with the tomato sauce makes a wonderful combination – as long as they aren’t blobs of bland eggs. 😛
When I make scrambled eggs, I like to keep it somewhat intact and fluffy and then break it up at the very end – this way I get big pillow-y chunks of bite-sized eggs. To do this, I don’t touch the egg too much while it is in the pan cooking. The only time I move the eggs is when I see small bubbles form around the edge of the pan – this tells me that the egg is partially cooked there, and I will take my utensil and push the 4 corners in the center. Then I tilt the pan and let the runny raw egg ooze out onto the edge of the pan and push the corners in again. Do this a few times until it is cooked.
Don’t worry if the egg looks slightly runny, the residual heat is cooking it and you don’t want to over cook your eggs.
TOMATOE-Y SAUCE (INSTEAD OF KETCHUP)
I know, I know. Everyone knows that this recipe is always made with ketchup, and I’m breaking the simplicity rule but personally – I think everyone has their own spin on this recipe so here is mine.
The reason why I have started to use tomato paste, honey and vinegar in place of ketchup is because I find that tomato paste has a bit more tomato based flavor and it is not just sweet and sour.
On a side note, when I am super lazy and in a rush, I will use ketchup as well in place of the tomato paste, vinegar and honey. Use the method that works for you 🙂
I doubled up the sauce for this recipe just so I can drown my rice in it! 😛
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Sweet, savory and slightly gingery with loads of fresh tomatoes, fluffy scrambled eggs and sauce to drown your rice in – tomato and egg stir fry is the ultimate Asian comfort food.
Ingredients
- 3–4 large tomatoes
- 1–2 stalks green onions
- 3–4 slices ginger
Scrambled Eggs
- 3–4 eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Tomato Sauce
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons honey (or sugar)
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing rice cooking wine
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
Preparation
- Wash the tomatoes and chop them into bite sized chunks and set aside
- Slice the ginger and set aside
- Cut the green onions 2 inches lengthwise and then cut them again lengthwise thinly and set aside
- In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients under the ‘Tomato Sauce’ ingredient list and set aside
- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and the seasoning under ‘Scrambled Eggs’ ingredient list and set aside
Scrambling the Eggs
- Set the stove to medium to medium low heat and add a little bit oil into a frying pan and wait until it is slightly smoking
- When the pan is hot, add in the egg mixture and wait until you see bubbles forming on the edges. Once you see bubbles along the edge of the pan, use a utensil to push the 4 corners into the center, then tilt the the pan slightly so the remaining raw egg runs to the edge of the pan and push the corners into the center again. Do this a few times until it is cooked but try not to over cook the eggs.
- You won’t get broken up pieces of scrambled egg with this method but instead a big mound of fluffy cooked eggs. Break up the egg into bit sized chunks and set it aside on a plate for later
Putting It Together
- Set the stove to medium heat, and add a bit more oil into the pan
- Once the oil is hot, add in the ginger and toast it a bit so that it turns slight brown. This way the ginger flavor comes out into the oil. (approximately 1-2 minutes)
- When the ginger is brown, add in the chopped tomatoes and tomato sauce and cook it for 5-6 minutes. (Be careful if the oil is hot, the tomatoes might sizzle and splash a bit when you add it to the oil) You want to cook the tomatoes slightly so they are soft and some of the tomato juices are released into the sauce. Try not to overcook the tomatoes too much so there are still chunks of it to eat.
- Once it is done, turn off the heat and add the scrambled eggs and green onions and mix together with the sauce until the eggs are well coated with the sauce.
- Remove the ginger slices before serving
- Enjoy with a bowl of rice! 🙂
Notes
- QUICKER VERSION : If you are pressed for time, you can alter this recipe to be more traditional and use ketchup. If you use ketchup, remove the tomato paste, white vinegar and honey from the recipe and replace it with 1/2 cup of ketchup instead.
- My rule of thumb for tomato to egg ratios is: For ever 1 large tomato you use, use one egg.
- For this recipe, you can use any type of tomatoes. We like to use baby tomatoes because we find that they are usually sweeter and more flavorful.
- Different tomatoes have different tartness. If your tomatoes are very sour, do a taste test and add 1/2 teaspoon of honey/sugar at a time and adjust it until it is to the right sweetness for you.
- Do not substitute black pepper for white pepper. Leave it out if you don’t have it. It is a completely different flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 375 cal
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 687 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 59 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 13 g
Keywords: tomato egg, tomato and egg, chinese food
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Josie says
09.17.2018 atI love this CHERRY TOMATO AND EGG STIR FRY recipe . I have grown quite a few cherry tomatoes in my small backyard. I nornally use small tomatoes for salad only. Now, instead of using regular medium-sized round tomatoes that buy from the supermarkets, I can use my own grown cherry tomatoes to cook this juicy healthy dish as a fast cooking means esp. after work in the evening. My younger kid likes this , and even mixed it with rice to eat. Thanks Joyce for a new simpler cooking recipe.
★★★★★
Joyce says
09.24.2018 atI loved it too as a kid. Tastes like ketchup sauce heehee 🙂
Sean Mahan says
09.11.2018 atThis actually looks a bit weird to me, but I can’t judge it till I try it, right? Let’s give it a shot!
Joyce says
09.11.2018 atIt’s definitely not a common looking food haha 🙂 It’s usually not seen at restaurants either and is usually ever made at home as a home cooked dish 🙂 Definitely try it out if you like a saucy dish, with a bit of sweet, salty and slight tanginess. The sauce goes good with rice 🙂