Tomato And Egg Stir Fry (西红柿炒鸡蛋)

Tender tomatoes and scrambled eggs are stir fried with aromatics and very simple seasonings and served with rice. It’s a super hearty and healthy meal that takes 10 minutes to throw together and it tastes so satisfying. {Vegetarian, Gluten-Free}

Tomato and egg stir-fry (西红柿炒鸡蛋, xi hong shi chao ji dan) is such a classic Chinese dish that it’s hard not to love. It has become a must-have at almost every school and office cafeteria. It’s one of the dishes that kids in China learn to make early on. It is the dish that overseas students miss the most. Chinese people my age used to eat this dish all the time growing up, and it’s something we still crave once in a while. The moment I pour the tomato and egg over rice, I can smell the sweet, sour and savory aroma that brings back nostalgic feelings of childhood.

What is tomato and egg stir fry

This dish is made with tomatoes cut into wedges, stir fried with scrambled eggs, and brought together with aromatics and a few very simple seasonings. 

Tomato and egg stir fry is one of those dishes that every family has their own version of. Some people use Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and white pepper to add complexity. You could to add a touch of sesame oil at the end to make the dish nutty. Some like to use a cornstarch slurry to make the tomato juice into a thicker sauce.

Tomato and egg ingredients

For me, I like to keep my tomato and egg stir fry extremely simple, using only five ingredients (cooking oil and salt are usually not counted since everyone should have them). This is the way my mom taught me, and I’ve been enjoying it this way ever since.

When you’re ready to cook, your table should have:

• Tomato, sliced into wedges
• Eggs, beaten
• Minced garlic
• Salt
• Sugar
• Sliced green onion for garnish (if using)

Beefsteak tomatoes and vine-ripen tomatoes are perfect for this dish. You can use roma tomatoes too, although I found their skin is a bit thick for my liking. 

What pan to use

A nonstick skillet is the easiest option for making tomato and eggs, since you can easily scramble the eggs without them sticking. 

Although if you prefer to add a smokiness (wok hei) to the dish, a small carbon steel wok is a great option as well. Just make sure the wok is properly seasoned, and use a generous amount of oil when scrambling the eggs. 

How to make tomato and egg stir fry

Making tomato and egg stir fry couldn’t be easier:

1. Scramble the eggs and transfer them to a plate
2. Gently cook the garlic
3. Cook the tomato until softened
4. Add back the eggs and season with salt and sugar

How to serve tomato and egg stir fry

Once you finish cooking, the tender tomato and scrambled eggs, with the juice from the tomatoes, make the dish almost like a stew. It is often served over a bed of steamed rice and served as a main dish. It is also commonly served with other stir fried dishes for a multi-course dinner. My mom also loves to serve it in Zha Jiang Mian (Old Beijing Fried Sauce Noodle), to add texture and color to the noodle dish.

How to make adjustments according to your own taste

If you’ve ever been to China, you may already have your personal preference when it comes to tomato and egg stir fry. I listed my favorite recipe below, but here are a few ways to alter it.

Create Your Own Favorite Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry

1. Use 2 sliced green onions instead of garlic. The finished dish will be sweeter and have less pungent garlicky taste.
2. Double the amount of sugar if you prefer a slightly sweet dish. The sugar here balances the tartness of the tomato. Because sometimes the tomatoes from the grocery store are not vine ripened and can be on the sour side. If you’re using farmer’s market tomatoes or homegrown tomatoes, you might only need a pinch of sugar. 
3. I like to season the dish using only salt and sugar, to let the flavor of the tomatoes and egg shine through. If you prefer a slightly more complex dish, halve the salt, add 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of Shaoxing wine, and 1/8 teaspoon of white pepper.
4. Add 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil at the end to add nuttiness. I used a high quality peanut oil, so I skipped the sesame oil. 
5. To get more sauce and make the dish almost like a stew – double the amount of tomatoes, chop them into smaller chunks, and cook them for a longer time over medium heat, until they have almost melted into a paste, before adding back the egg. By the way, this is the typical cafeteria style – it allows the chef to use fewer eggs and cut costs 😉

Did you find your favorite style in the list? If not, drop me a note below and I will add it!

Other easy Chinese homestyle recipes

• Bok Choy and Mushroom Stir Fry
• Chinese Chicken Noodle Salad (鸡丝凉面)
• Stir Fried Garlic Scape with Eggs (蒜苔炒鸡蛋)
• Stir Fried Vermicelli with Pork (Ma Yi Shang Shu, 蚂蚁上树)
• Dry Pot Cauliflower (干锅菜花)

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Tomato And Egg Stir Fry (西红柿炒鸡蛋)

4.88 from 16 votes

Tender tomatoes and scrambled eggs are stir fried with aromatics and very simple seasonings and served with rice. It’s a super hearty and healthy meal that takes 10 minutes to throw together and it tastes so satisfying. {Vegetarian, Gluten-Free}

Author: Maggie Zhu

Course: Main, Side

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: homestyle

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 to 4 servings

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 4 eggs , beaten
• 4 (1.1 lb / 500 g) vine-ripe tomatoes , chopped to bite-size pieces
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar (Footnote 1)
• green onion , sliced (for garnish) (Optional)

Instructions

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is ready, add egg and cook until the bottom side is done, but the top is still raw, about 30 seconds. Scramble the eggs while chopping into bite sized pieces, until the egg is just cooked. Turn to lowest heat, transfer egg to a plate, and set aside.
• Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil and the garlic and turn back to medium-high heat. Stir the garlic a few times until fragrant. Add tomato and stir fry until the texture becomes soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Add egg back into skillet. Sprinkle the salt and sugar evenly over everything. Quickly mix everything together with a spatula until evenly seasoned. Taste the dish and adjust seasoning by adding a bit more sugar or salt if needed.
• Serve hot over steamed rice as a main dish or a side dish.

Notes

1. The sugar here balances the sourness of the tomato. Sometimes tomatoes from the grocery store are not vine ripened and can be quite sour, and the sugar makes the dish taste much better. If you prefer a slightly sweet dish, you can increase the sugar to 2 teaspoons. If you’re using farmer’s market tomatoes or homegrown tomatoes, you might only need a pinch of sugar.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 135kcal, Carbohydrates: 6.5g, Protein: 6.7g, Fat: 9.7g, Saturated Fat: 2.3g, Cholesterol: 164mg, Sodium: 506mg, Potassium: 358mg, Fiber: 1.5g, Sugar: 4.6g, Calcium: 37mg, Iron: 1mg

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