Soft and Delicious Tomato and Egg Stir-fry
Tomato Egg Stir-fry: Easy Chinese Home-style Dish (西红柿炒鸡蛋)
Looking for a simple and healthy dish? ‘Xihongshi Chao Jidan’, a staple in Chinese home cooking, features a surprisingly delightful combination of fresh tomatoes and tender eggs that don’t clash but rather complement each other beautifully. This dish isn’t overwhelming; instead, it offers a deep, satisfying flavor. It’s perfect as a side dish for rice or as a light meal on its own. Follow this recipe for a delightful culinary experience!
Main Ingredients
- 1 ripe tomato
- A bit of scallion or green onion, chopped
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced or minced
- 2 fresh eggs
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
Seasoning & Others
- 1/2 Tbsp salt (or to taste)
- A pinch of black pepper
- 5 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1/2 Tbsp salt (or to taste)
- A pinch of black pepper
- 5 Tbsp cooking oil
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, wash and prepare all the vegetables. Dice the tomato into about 1-inch pieces. Chop the scallion or green onion and slice or mince the onion as preferred. Finely mince the garlic.
Step 2
To easily peel the tomatoes, make a shallow cross-shaped cut on the bottom of each tomato. Blanch them in boiling water for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the skin starts to loosen slightly.
Step 3
Immediately transfer the blanched tomatoes to a bowl of cold water to cool them down. This step makes peeling much easier. Ensure the tomatoes are thoroughly cooled in the cold water.
Step 4
While the tomatoes are cooling, crack the 2 eggs into a bowl. Add 1/2 Tbsp salt and a pinch of black pepper to the eggs and whisk well to combine. This seasons the eggs and helps to reduce any eggy smell.
Step 5
For an even silkier texture, remove the chalazae (the white stringy bits attached to the yolk) and strain the egg mixture through a sieve 2-3 times. This will result in incredibly tender, melt-in-your-mouth scrambled eggs.
Step 6
Once the tomatoes are completely cool, peel off the skin. Cut the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, about 1 to 1.5 cm (roughly 1/2 inch) in size. Removing the skin significantly improves the texture.
Step 7
Heat about 2 Tbsp of cooking oil in a wok or non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Pour in the whisked egg mixture and cook, stirring gently with chopsticks or a spatula as if making scrambled eggs. Cook until about 70-80% done, then remove from the heat and set aside on a plate. This prevents the eggs from breaking apart during the final stir-fry and keeps them tender.
Step 8
Add the remaining 3 Tbsp of cooking oil to the same pan over medium heat. Add the chopped scallions and stir-fry until fragrant and lightly golden, releasing their aroma (this is ‘scallion oil’). Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 10 seconds until fragrant. Then, add the sliced onions and diced tomatoes. Stir-fry over medium heat until the tomatoes break down and release their juices, creating a sauce-like consistency. Cooking the tomatoes thoroughly is key to developing their flavor.
Step 9
Once the tomatoes have softened and formed a sauce, gently add the prepared scrambled eggs back into the pan. Carefully toss everything together, being mindful not to break up the eggs too much. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Serve hot over steamed rice or enjoy as is!
