Tomato Egg is one of the most common dishes cooked in the Chinese home. It's a simple and budget-friendly meal that doesn’t sacrifice on flavor.
Calling all tomato lovers, this Chinese Tomato Egg recipe (番茄炒蛋) is for you! In less than 5 minutes from cutting board to table, you'll have yourself a delicious, flavorful dish that's perfect for days when you're hungry for a home cooked meal but don’t feel like cooking.
In our household, between myself and my youngest daughter, we make Tomato Egg Stir Fry at least once a week, but usually multiple times a week. I always keep tomatoes and eggs in stock for this very dish.
What is Chinese Tomato Egg Stir Fry?
The simplicity of Tomato Egg is what makes it such a great dish. Two of my favorite ingredients, tomatoes and eggs, are quickly stir-fried with pantry staples.
Scrambled eggs with tangy juice from the tomatoes, sweetened with a bit of sugar, turns it into the perfect sauce to pour over rice.
It doesn’t take a busy weeknight for us to make Chinese Tomato Egg. Any weeknight will do, weekends too! 😊 Keep this recipe in your repertoire. Believe me, it's an absolute lifesaver on busy weeknights.
What Type of Tomatoes Should I Use?
You can really use any type of tomato for this dish. Roma, round, heirloom, beefsteak, tomatoes-on-the-vine are all good varieties to use for this Chinese Tomato Egg recipe.
I often have Roma tomatoes at home since they're so versatile with full tomatoey flavor so that's what I mainly use. But you can't really go wrong with whatever you have on hand.
Some tomatoes are sweeter than others so pay attention to that. You may need to adjust the amount of sugar you add to this Tomato Egg recipe.
Prepping Ingredients
The prep for this Tomato Egg Stir-Fry recipe is super simple. This is one of the few recipes that's quick enough to make a single serving in the morning for my daughter's school lunch. These are the days she's the envy of all her friends.
To prep the tomatoes, cut them into wedges then cut them in half crosswise. There's no need to squeeze out the seeds.
Next, mince the garlic then beat and season the eggs with salt. That's it for Tomato Egg prep!
Tips for Making Tomato Egg Extra Yummy
After adding sugar to the wok, give it a few tosses to coat the tomatoes. Then let the sugar melt and caramelize a bit to enhance the flavors.
Once the tomato begins to soften, about halfway through cooking, use your spatula to mince half of the tomato wedges into small pieces, while keeping the other half whole.
Keep mashing until it reaches a pulp-like consistency. The idea is to turn some of the tomatoes into a pulp which will thicken the sauce and cling onto the scrambled eggs.
If you don't like big chunks of tomatoes, feel free to mash all the tomatoes. This is how my daughter likes her Tomato Egg.
How to Make Chinese Tomato Egg Stir-Fry
These are all the ingredients you need, most of which you probably already have in your kitchen.
As always, have your ingredients prepared before you begin to stir-fry Tomato Egg. This recipe in particular cooks very quickly.
1) Beat the eggs and season with salt then set aside.
2) Slice the tomatoes into wedges, then cut the wedges in half crosswise.
3) Scramble the eggs over medium heat. Transfer to a dish and set it aside.
4) Lightly sauté the garlic, then add the tomato wedges and give it a quick toss.
5) Add sugar and let it caramelize then add in Shaoxing wine and water. When the tomatoes begin to soften, use your spatula to mince and mash half of the tomatoes into a pulp.
6) Simmer until the tomatoes are soft. If more liquid is needed, add another tablespoon of water. Cook until the sauce thickens. Add in the scrambled eggs and toss to combine.
It's no secret that my youngest daughter and I are tomato lovers. That explains why we adore this Chinese Tomato Egg recipe. It's such an easy meal to whip up for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yes, my daughter will request it for breakfast!
It's super healthy with a vegetable and a protein so who am I to argue? I hope you enjoy our Chinese Tomato Egg Stir Fry recipe as much as we do.
If you're looking for another egg dish, be sure to check out our Taiwanese Tea Egg recipe. It'll transport you straight to Taiwan!
Ingredients
- 2 tomatoes, medium sized
- 4 eggs
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoon water
- salt, to taste
- white pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Beat the eggs in a small bowl and season with salt. Set aside
- Heat a wok or skillet over high heat then coat with a tablespoon of oil. Lower the heat to medium then add in the beaten eggs and scramble. Remove and set aside
- Heat another tablespoon of oil and lightly sauté the minced garlic.
- Add the tomatoes and stir-fry for a few seconds. Sprinkle in sugar and give it a few more tosses. Let the sugar melt and caramelize then pour in Shaoxing wine and water.
- Once the tomatoes begin to soften, take your spatula and mince and mash about half of the tomato wedges. The tomato pulp will thicken the sauce. Simmer until the tomatoes are soft. If more liquid is needed, add another tablespoon of water.
- Once the sauce has reduced and thickened to your liking, season with salt and white pepper then stir in the scrambled eggs. Give it a couple of tosses to combine. Garnish Chinese Tomato Egg with chopped scallions then serve.
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