Beautifully simple, Tomato and Egg Stir Fry is the crowning glory of Chinese comfort food. Made using just a handful of everyday ingredients, choose how saucy you want it and let the juicy tomatoes simmer around velvet egg folds. Serve hot over rice for a meal that always satisfies!
Ingredients as nature intended
Some recipes are best kept simple to celebrate the truest flavor of its ingredients, and our family’s Tomato and Egg Stir Fry is one of them. Cooked with classic Chinese seasoning, it’s the perfect blanket to lay over rice.
Just imagine: everything you love about eggs but better. Except this time, they’re not glossed over a patty in a meatloaf or caramelized with pork belly. Instead, they’re gently folded over low heat to create the creamiest velvety bite.
It then gets taken to another level when you stir it through a homemade tomato sauce with just the right amount of tang. And when that sauce oozes slowly through the folds, you have MAGIC.
For such a winner for a recipe, it’s the perfect weeknight side dish to enjoy with everyone you love!
Which tomatoes should I use?
This really comes down to personal preference. If you like a robust sweet and tangy taste with extra juice, go for the smaller ones that are a deeper red and riper. These will hold their flavor even when cooked with eggs.
If you like a stronger eggy taste, you can stick to firmer and lighter tomatoes. They’re generally not as ripe and have a tender crunch (which is why we love it with fried fish). You’ll find that they keep their shape better than the riper ones, even when cooked for some time.
Of course, both types will add delicious flavor to any Tomato and Egg Stir Fry so get your rice ready for some serious comfort food!
Why this recipe works
- Adding a touch of dark soy sauce deepens the flavor and color in the tomatoes.
- Folding the eggs on low heat creates soft layers in the Tomato and Egg Stir Fry for the sauce to flow into.
- Tomato paste keeps the tanginess robust, a taste signature to this dish.
What you’ll need
About the ingredients
Every ingredient can be added to preference; if you like more eggs, crack a few more in. If you prefer more tomatoes, cut up another one or two. Just make sure to adjust the seasoning to taste.
Some families like their tomatoes skinless, which can be done easily like we do with our Xíu Mại (Vietnamese Meatballs). Score an X on the top until it just cuts through the skin, then boil it in water for 5 minutes. This will help to peel the skin off easily.
The vinegar is entirely optional. If the produce isn’t as sour as you’d like, the vinegar can help to give it more zest. Omit it if you find that the end result is as you want.
How to make this recipe
Whisk the eggs until combined and season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp chicken bouillon powder. Heat up a wok with 3 tbsp oil on high heat, then pour it in.
Turn the heat down to low-medium and use a flat cooking utensil like a spatula to pull the cooked part towards the center.
Give it 10 seconds for another part of the mixture to cook before pulling that into the middle as well. Repeat this step until all of the egg mixture has been pulled in and at least 70-80% cooked or as cooked as you like. Transfer into a bowl for later.
Bring the heat back to high and pour in the remaining oil. After 30 seconds, turn it to medium and add the white spring onion heads and garlic to cook for 30 seconds. Turn the heat back up to high and put the tomatoes in.
Season with the remaining salt, sugar, chicken bouillon powder, dark soy sauce and tomato paste. Let it simmer for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes have softened to preference. If you would like it saucier, add the water in at this point to a consistency you like and let it cook for another 5 minutes.
Optional: Taste the sauce and add the vinegar if it isn’t tangy enough.
Turn the heat to medium, mix up the potato slurry and slowly pour it into the sauce while mixing to thicken it up.
Add the eggs back in and toss it gently through the sauce.
Garnish with the finely chopped spring onions and serve over hot rice as is!
Recipe FAQs
If you heated the eggs until fully cooked in the beginning, adding them back into the tomato sauce may overcook them. I would suggest keeping them 70-90% cooked (depending on how well done you like them) before mixing them through the warm tomatoes.
If sealed in an air-tight container, this homemade side dish can last up to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat the dish over the stove or in the microwave.
Certainly! These will take less time to cook as well. Just make sure to season to taste as anything canned might have added ingredients to preserve it.
Tips for the best results
- Taste test as you go. Because the ingredients can vary widely from batch to batch, taste along the way to get it just right.
- Use a low heat with the eggs. Keep the flame gentle so you don’t overcook the mixture because it can be very delicate to work with, especially when trying to get the folds. Avoid stirring because this will scramble them.
- For serving, present the eggs on the top. If you don’t want the eggs to get lost in all the sauce, scoop half of the cooked tomatoes onto the plate before adding the rest of the eggs and sauce on top.
What to serve it with
- Curry Fish Balls (咖喱魚蛋) are a great way to start any course.
- Line the table with Four Cup Chicken (四杯雞), Stuffed Tofu (Yong Tau Fu 釀豆腐), Braised Beef Honeycomb Tripe to satisfy the family.
- Get some greens in with a simple Stir Fried Water Spinach with Fermented Bean Curd (炒腐乳空心菜)
- Chinese Seaweed Soup (紫菜汤) keeps things easy and light.
- Finish the night off with a nourishing Bean Curd and Ginkgo Nut Dessert Soup (腐竹白果糖水)!
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Egg and Tomato Stir Fry (番茄炒蛋)
Equipment
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 4 large tomatoes (or 5 small ones; quartered)
- 5 eggs (or to preference)
- 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (1/4 tsp for the eggs and remaining for the tomatoes; all to taste)
- 2 1/2 tsp sugar (or to taste)
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder (1/4 tsp for the eggs and remaining for the tomatoes)
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp vinegar (optional; only if you like it more tangy)
- 1 US cup water (or to preference)
- 6 tbsp oil (half for the eggs, half for the tomatoes)
- 5 spring onion (whites separated from the green and the green finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp potato starch slurry (1 tbsp potato starch mixed with 1 tbsp water)
Instructions
- Whisk the eggs until combined and season with 1/4 tsp salt and chicken bouillon powder. Heat up a wok with 3 tbsp oil on high heat, then pour it in.
- Turn the heat down to low-medium and use a flat cooking utensil like a spatula to pull the cooked part toward the center.
- Give it 10 seconds for another part of the mixture to cook before pulling that into the middle as well. Repeat this step until all of the egg mixture has been pulled in and at least 70-80% cooked or as cooked as you like.
- Transfer into a bowl for later.
- Bring the heat back to high and pour in the remaining oil. After 30 seconds, turn it to medium and add the white spring onion heads and garlic to cook for 30 seconds.
- Turn the heat back up to high and put the tomatoes in.
- Season with the remaining salt, sugar, chicken bouillon powder, dark soy sauce and tomato paste. Let it simmer for 2 minutes or until the tomatoes have softened to preference. If you would like it saucier, add the water in at this point to a consistency you like.Optional: Taste the sauce and add the vinegar if it isn't tangy enough.
- Turn the heat to medium, mix up the potato slurry and slowly pour it into the sauce while mixing to thicken it up.
- Add the eggs back in and toss it gently through the sauce.
- Garnish with the finely chopped spring onions and serve over hot rice as is!
Notes
- Taste test as you go. Because the ingredients can vary widely from batch to batch, taste along the way to get it just right.
- Use a low heat with the eggs. Keep the flame gentle so you don't overcook the mixture because it can be very delicate to work with, especially when trying to get the folds.
- For serving, present the eggs on the top. If you don't want the eggs to get lost in all the sauce, scoop half of the cooked tomatoes onto the plate before adding the rest of the eggs and sauce on top.
- Every ingredient can be added to preference; if you like more eggs, crack a few more in. If you prefer more tomatoes, cut up another one or two. Just make sure to adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Some families like their tomatoes skinless, which can be done by scoring an X on the top until it just cuts through the skin. Boil it in water for 5 minutes and peel the skin off.
- The vinegar is entirely optional for extra zest.
- If you like sweet and tangy tomatoes with extra juice, go for smaller ones that are a deeper red and riper.
- Firmer and lighter tomatoes keep their shape better than the riper ones, even when cooked for some time and are milder in flavor.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on 03/08/21 and updated with new photos in June 2022.
This sounds so tasty and I love how easy it is! What a great weeknight dinner.
It sure is, Helen! Thanks!
This came out so delicious! And it was easy to make, def a family favorite!
That’s wonderful to hear, Danielle! Glad your family enjoyed it!
This is so delicious and so comforting! What a tasty combination.
Thanks, Bintu! We do love this classic combo!
Such a wholesome dish.. I am totally loving them ..
Thanks, Sharmila! We love it too!
That sounds delicious. What a great dinner idea. Light, easy to make and healthy. I’m making this for sure.
Thanks, Natalie! I hope you get to make it soon!
I tried this recipe because I had all of the ingredients on hand and was trying not to buy any extra protein for the week. It was great! Such a simple recipe that delivers on excellent flavor. Thanks for sharing it.
Hi, Ashley! I’m so glad this recipe worked out for you! We sure love the simple recipes over rice 😀