Tomato Egg Stir Fry

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.



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.



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.