Tomato and egg stir-fry, Chinese style

The moment that counts lasts a few seconds: the beaten eggs hit the smoking oil and puff up all at once. I take them out of the wok while they're still runny, and they finish cooking in the tomatoes without turning hard. The rest of the recipe happens over a medium heat, with no rush.

Tomato and egg stir-fry (xihongshi chao jidan in northern China, more often fanqie chao dan in the south) is an everyday dish, often the first one people learn to cook there. Ripe tomatoes, eggs and garlic make the base, with a little salt and sugar to balance the acidity. With no meat or stock, it's vegetarian. It all comes down to two separate cooking stages: the eggs seared and set aside, then the tomatoes cooked down until they release a juice that coats the rice.

Chinese tomato and egg stir-fry (xihongshi chao jidan)

Beaten eggs seared over a high heat in smoking oil, then folded into peeled tomatoes cooked down with garlic and a touch of sugar, to serve on rice.

• Prep: 15 min
• Cook: 10 min
• Total: 25 min
• Difficulty: Easy
• Cuisine: Chinese
• For 4 people

For 3 or 4 people, use a 32cm wok: up to 8 eggs cook in it in one go.

Ingredients

For the eggs

• 8 eggs (medium)
• 2 tbsp water
• ¼ tsp fine salt

For the tomatoes

• 6 ripe tomatoes (medium, about 750g in total)
• 3 garlic cloves
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 2 tsp caster sugar (adjust to how sharp the tomatoes are)

To cook and serve

• 3 tbsp neutral oil (groundnut or sunflower), for the eggs
• 1 tbsp neutral oil (for the tomatoes)
• 2 spring onions (optional)
• 300g jasmine rice (uncooked, to serve)

Equipment

• 30 to 32cm carbon steel wok
• Saucepan of boiling water and bowl of cold water, to peel the tomatoes
• Large bowl and fork
• Wok spatula or wooden spatula
• Saucepan or rice cooker

Method

1. Put the rice on

Rinse 300g jasmine rice in several changes of water, until the water stays almost clear, then start cooking it. It needs about 20 minutes, resting time included: it will be ready at the same time as the tomatoes.

2. Peel the tomatoes

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and set a bowl of cold water next to it. Cut a small cross in the base of each tomato, without cutting deep into the flesh. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for 30 seconds, up to 1 minute if they're firm: the skin curls back at the cut. Transfer them straight to the cold water, then peel them as soon as they're cool enough to handle. The skin comes away in strips under your fingers.

3. Cut the tomatoes and garlic

Cut out the tough core of each tomato, cut them into quarters, then each quarter in half: 2 to 3cm pieces, some of which will melt into a sauce. Keep the juice that runs onto the board. Thinly slice the garlic. Slice the spring onions into thin rounds and keep them for the end.

4. Beat the eggs

Crack 8 eggs into a large bowl, add 2 tbsp water and ¼ tsp salt. Beat with a fork for a good minute, until the white and yolk are fully blended and a fine foam forms on top. The water makes the eggs more tender as they cook.

5. Sear the eggs

For more than 8 eggs, cook them in two batches, with half the oil each time. Heat the wok over a high heat until it's lightly smoking, add 3 tbsp oil and swirl it round the sides. When it's just starting to smoke, pour in the eggs all at once: they puff up and set at the edges within seconds. Push the set parts towards the centre with the spatula and tilt the wok so the liquid egg runs onto the hot metal. Take the eggs out when there's almost no liquid left but they're still glossy and runny, after 40 seconds to 1 minute, and set them aside on a plate.

6. Cook the tomatoes down with the garlic

Turn the heat down to medium, without washing the wok. Add 1 tbsp oil and the garlic, then stir for 20 seconds: it should smell strong and stay pale gold. Add the tomatoes with their juice and ½ tsp salt, which helps them release their water. Stir-fry them for 4 to 5 minutes, crushing a few pieces with the back of the spatula, until they collapse into a slightly thick red sauce, with some pieces still visible.

7. Season and combine

Add 2 tsp sugar, stir and taste: the sauce should stay savoury, with just enough sugar to round off the acidity. Return the eggs to the wok and break them up roughly with the tip of the spatula into bite-sized pieces. Stir for 30 seconds, just long enough to coat them in sauce.

8. Serve

Turn off the heat, scatter over the spring onions and serve straight away on the hot rice. The eggs keep cooking in the sauce and lose their softness if they're left waiting.

Wok tips

• Eggs only puff up in very hot oil. If they don't sizzle loudly when they hit the wok, they cook flat and release water. The amount of oil may look like a lot: the eggs soak some of it up, and that's what makes them so soft.
• The flared sides of the wok do part of the work. The set egg rides up the side when you push it, and the liquid runs back down to the bottom, onto the hottest spot. Without those sides, you'd have to stir constantly and the eggs would end up finely scrambled.
• Tomato is acidic. Five minutes of cooking won't harm a well-seasoned carbon steel wok, but sauce left sitting in it can eat into a patina that's still thin. Transfer the dish as soon as it's done, rinse the wok with hot water, dry it over the heat and wipe in a drop of oil. If the bottom has gone grey, a quick reseasoning puts it right.
• On induction, let the wok heat for 2 minutes at full power before adding the oil for the eggs, then switch to medium power for the tomatoes: the hob responds instantly and the garlic burns quickly if you stay on maximum. A flat-bottomed wok stays in contact with the hob: see our induction woks.

Variations

• Out of season, for 4 people: replace the fresh tomatoes with two 400g tins of whole peeled tomatoes, cut into pieces, with half their juice, and cook them for just 2 to 3 minutes. Or use 700g cherry tomatoes, halved, with 1 tablespoon of tomato purée or ketchup for colour and flavour. If the tomatoes look dry as they cook, add a splash of water.
• Thicker sauce: mix 1 teaspoon of cornflour with 2 tablespoons of cold water and pour it over the tomatoes just before you return the eggs. Within 20 seconds, the juice thickens and turns glossy. Handy with very juicy tomatoes.
• Sweeter, the way it's often made around Shanghai: go up to 1 tablespoon of sugar, or add 1 tablespoon of ketchup with the tomatoes. For a more savoury version, as in northern China, keep to a pinch of sugar.
• With ginger: add 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger with the garlic, for a sharper sauce.

Storage

This dish is best eaten straight from the wok: left waiting, the eggs soak up the sauce and go spongy. If there's any left, keep it for a day in the fridge in a sealed container, separate from the rice, and reheat it for 1 to 2 minutes in the wok over a medium heat with a spoonful of water. It doesn't freeze.

310 kcal, 15 g protein, 8 g carbs, 24 g fat. Per serving, counting the cooking oil, without the rice. With 75g uncooked rice, add about 260 calories.

The wok for this recipe: The Oniri Induction Wok. Uncoated carbon steel, Ø 32cm, all hobs including induction.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need to peel the tomatoes?

You don't have to. As they cook, the skins come away and form small hard curls in the sauce, which is mostly a nuisance with thick-skinned tomatoes. With thin-skinned tomatoes cut into small pieces, you can skip this step and save 5 minutes.

Why put sugar in tomato and egg stir-fry?

A little sugar softens the acidity of the tomatoes, especially out of season, when they're bland and sharp. At the amount given (2 teaspoons for 4 people), the sauce stays savoury, just rounder. Taste before adding more: with very ripe tomatoes, a pinch is enough.

Why are my eggs dry and rubbery?

They've overcooked, often because the oil wasn't hot enough: they took too long to set and dried out. Seared in smoking oil, they puff up in seconds. Take them out while they're still runny, and they'll finish cooking in the sauce.

What do you serve with tomato and egg stir-fry?

Hot white rice, which soaks up the tomato juice. For a fuller meal, add a green vegetable stir-fried with garlic. Served on wheat noodles, with a little more juice, it's another everyday Chinese classic.