Monday, April 27, 2009

Tomato Egg Stir Fry

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Tomato and egg stir fry

Tomato and scrambled egg has got to be one of the most common Chinese home dish. My mom's version is dryer with less tomatoes and the egg is thinner and less meatier. I prefer the version which I learnt from Hub's aunty in Shanghai because the eggs are fried into thicker pieces and soaked in a savory sweet tomato sauce. I thought I'd do a post on this since we had it for dinner tonight and since I've had requests for simple, easy to do dishes. This is an inexpensive dish that cooks in about 5 minutes and is delicious with plain rice. If you love tomatoes (like I do) and eggs, you'll love this dish. This is so simple to cook that I have nothing much to say so this will probably be my shortest post so far.

Tomato Egg Stir Fry

4 large ripe tomatoes (about 400 g)
5-6 large eggs
a shake of white pepper
1/4 t salt (or less, up to you)
1 1/2 -2 t caster sugar
2-3 T veg oil
pinch of msg or chicken granules (optional)

1. Cut the tomatoes into wedges. Remove skin by putting tomatoes in hot water for a few seconds, then peel and slice into wedges. Remove the seeds but not too completely. It's traditional to remove the seeds and skin but now I  don't do that because it's such a waste.  Crack the eggs into a bowl, add 1/8 t salt and white pepper and beat with a fork or a pair of chopsticks.

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2. Put about 1 1/2 T oil in a heated wok or you can also use a skillet. Make sure the oil coats all the sides of the wok so the egg won't stick. Pour all the egg into the wok, wait a few seconds (heat at medium) and tilt the wok so that the egg pancake is bigger but don't make it too thin; you want a meatier bite. When the egg is half set, turn over. It's okay to turn over section by section; the egg doesn't have to be in one piece. Using your frying ladle, cut the egg up into large pieces. Remove onto a plate.

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3. Put 1 T oil into the same unwashed wok, add the tomatoes, the remaining 1/8 t salt, sugar (some tomatoes may be more sour and need more sugar) and the msg/chicken granules if using. Fry under high heat, then when tomatoes are about half-wilted, add the egg, stirring well. Cover and lower the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 1-2 minutes to draw out the tomato juice and to let the eggs absorb the tomato juice.

4. Stir well so that the egg is fully soaked with the tomato liquid. If you like less sauce, increase heat to high so that the sauce dries up a little. Dish out into a deep plate and serve hot with plain rice.

24 comments:

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

excellent dish with loads of rice...

mom cooks less of this dishes nowadays bcos we all come back home n eat dinner at diff times..

this dish tends to emit alot of water and is best eaten fresh of the wok!

Precious Pea said...

Did you watch 'So Good' the new HK cooking show from TVB on Astro yest?? This dish was featured and funny, she stir fry the egg and tomato separately. She poured the tomato over the egg when served, just like spaghetti!

MP said...

*Hugs* Terri :) This recipe is exactly what i need to cook for tonight's no fuss dinner cos just the youngest n myself. You wont believe it, but i cannot recall ever eating this dish. OK, i know i am not Chinese!!! This is going to be one of our favourites, just like your apple cake recipe,
H - healthy
U - utterly )in taste
G - good )
S - simple

worldwindows said...

Very simple and nutritious. Great for kids esp with smallish cherry tomatoes?

lilblackdots said...

love this..:)

Dai Shan said...

MY FAVOURITE DISH. But my mom's version has the tomatoes sauteed at the very begining in very very hot oil along with a mixture of cornstach and tomato sauce, water and seasonings... the result.. a very creamy and light version... ahhaha.. great with rice or pasta.. mmmmmm... =]

terri@adailyobsession said...

joe: see, evryone knows this dish!:D

pp: no, what a coincidence! what time is tt on? hm. if the tomato is poured over the egg w/o frying, the egg won't have the tomato liquid..

mp: *hugs* too

worldwindows: haven't tried tt but i think yes, kid's (n big kids) will love it with cherry tomotoes. can imagine it'll look so cute.

lilblackdots: ha, everybody knows dish dish!

daishan: tt sounds like a great idea, the cornstarch, n i'll give it a try next time. thnx for telling me!

Anonymous said...

Hi Yi's mom.. woww this is my fav dish. My late dad taught me to cook it for instant protein fibre dish. I eat it with rice or bread oh.. yes.. bread is yummy... too there is no tomato in the fridge right now..

the way i cooked is it i cooked the tomato first (i cubed the tomato wedges and it goes into the pan first after the garlic is fragrant.) then i add in the beaten egg and just see it bubble bubble.. after that scoup out and eat.. yummy yummy... chrish

Simply June said...

Terri...this dish reminds me of the bake beans and egg stir fry. I just made this for dinner and made some of my adjustments to it...i.e. adding a bit of ketchup... yums! This is one good way for me to eat tomatoes....since I'm not a big tomato fan!

Anonymous said...

I like tomatoes and I like eggs. And this dish is simple enough that even I dare to attempt ;0
Thanks so much.
R

TeaLady said...

Simple, but delicious!

Terri, I've got a new cheesecake recipe on the blog. Go check it out. My new favorite.

Zurin said...

Terri, Glad to hear tht ur mom is OK. Just read teh post. Been so busy lately havnt had time for the computer .....or maybe thats good. that was a touching post. n i know xactly what u mean.

ArtiSands said...

always love this dish! my favourite - although I haven't cooked it in a while, on account of my kids NOT being fans to tomatoes! tsk!

Agnes said...

Yum, my mom always cook this... :)

junathon said...

i ate this dish many times growing up. will make it tonight!

Denise ^ ChickyEGG said...

Ha ! I like how u make the egg, very fat, like u say 'meatier" ! I'll cook this! I 'll cook this !

terri@adailyobsession said...

chrish: eat with bread ah? i'm not so sure about tt...

simply june: sounds delicious

r: so have u cooked this yet?

tealady: i am undecided--i still want to make tt ny cheesecake u posted. which is better??

zurin: thank u zurin :)

plain jane: yes, i've noticed my kids too aren't crazy about tomatoes, unlike me

agnes: comfort home food...

junathon:how was it?

denise: waiting to see ur post n photo :D

chumpman said...

That's exactly how my mom and I cooked, becoz we were from Shanghai, LOL ! It's absolutely a simple yet healthy and yummy dish.

Mr. Creel said...

I love this dish. I taught ESL in China a year ago and I ate this nearly every day. I am no cook, but I have tried to recreate this dish over and over with no luck. I've tried your recipe and I think I'm messing something up. The sauce comes out too tangy. When I had it before, there was a hint of tomato but it wasn't so overpowering. I'm confused on what to do. Are there any other spices that you would suggest to take out the tang? I tried sugar (a tsp at a time) but it eventually became too sweet.

terri@adailyobsession said...

mr creel: hmm. if ur dish turned out too tangy, get a sweeter variety of tomatoes, or cut back on the amount. as for spices, there's no spice to add to this dish. u may want to use msg bc it is very commonly used in oriental cooking. yes, tt may be what u r missing.a year in china would acclimatize ur tastebuds to msg. u may be suffering an msg withdrawal...

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
sergy said...

Thank you! You practically just saved me from death by starvation.

terri@adailyobsession said...

sergy: haha!

Unknown said...

thankyou!! my husband is learning to cook chinese, as I have been to sick to cook.
Your process looks very easy and i hope he can follow and make some of our homestyle dishes for us to eat at home!

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