Tomato and egg stir-fry

It can be tricky to achieve a good tomato flavour – you’re after a well-balanced sweet, savoury and tangy sauce to coat the fluffy eggs. When it is done well, it tastes great on a bed of steaming hot rice!

This tomato and egg dish is one of Asia's most well-known comfort foods. Credit: Alana Dimou

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

I know tomato and egg might seem like an odd combination, but they go together so well in a stir-fry. Cheap, simple and full of nostalgia, this is a childhood dish that most Hong Kong mums cook at home

Ingredients

• 2 vine-ripened tomatoes
• 3 eggs
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tbsp canola oil (or other cooking oil)
• ½ onion, sliced
• 2 slices ginger
• 2 red shallots, roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

• 25 g Chinese brown sugar (or soft brown sugar)
• 3 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp chopped spring onion
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Instructions

1. Cut each tomato in half lengthways, then cut each half into three slices.

2. Whisk together the eggs and salt in a bowl.

3. Heat a medium wok or non-stick frying pan over high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, then reduce the heat to low and pour in the egg mixture. Cook, stirring, until the egg is nearly cooked. Transfer the scrambled egg to a bowl.

4. Wipe out the pan and return it to low heat. Add the remaining oil, then the onion and ginger and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the shallot and garlic and stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Toss in the tomato and stir-fry for another 2 minutes, then stir through the brown sugar. Add 125 ml (½ cup) of water and simmer for 3 minutes.

5. Pour in the tomato sauce and light soy sauce and cook for another 5 minutes. The tomato will start to release its juices, helping the mixture to form a sauce. Add the Worcestershire sauce and dark soy sauce, then the scrambled egg and stir for another 30 seconds. During this time the egg will finish cooking and thicken the sauce.

6. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with the spring onion and coriander and serve immediately.

Note

• Made from unrefined cane sugar, Chinese brown sugar is a warm brown colour and sold in small slabs. Not to be confused with palm sugar, which looks similar but is a very different product.

Recipe from Hong Kong Local by ArChan Chan, Smith Street Books, RRP$ 39.99. Photography by Alana Dimou, food styling by Bridget Wald.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

I know tomato and egg might seem like an odd combination, but they go together so well in a stir-fry. Cheap, simple and full of nostalgia, this is a childhood dish that most Hong Kong mums cook at home