Chinese Tomato Egg Stir Fry Made Easy

A Groundbreaking Twist To Make This Insanely Popular Dish Easier and A Bigger Portion!

Chinese tomato egg stir fry is a very famous Chinese dish. With a new twist, you can make this dish in a huge amount with a very low budget to enjoy as much as you can.

Total Time: 20 - 22 Minutes
Prep Time: 10 Minutes  
Active Cook Time: 10-12 Minutes  
Serving: 4

I was blessed with many fresh house tomatoes by a church elder one weekend during a cookout at his house. As much as I love tomatoes, I rarely have such a big quantity on hand like this. You most likely know me by now that I treasure all my food and nothing goes to waste. So, as soon as those beauties got on my hand, I have been thinking of the best way to enjoy them.

Since I haven’t had Chinese tomato egg stir fry (蕃茄炒蛋) for a long, long time. So, that was the outcome of using those big gorgeous tomatoes.

Like many busy parents, time is an essence every day. It inspired me to look for a quicker and cheaper way to make this popular Chinese recipe. Yes, I am going to share it with you. And you are going to make this dish forever.

TIPS & TRICKS

Skin On or Off?

When I was a kid, Chinese stir-fried eggs with tomato usually with the tomato skin on. Maybe it just happened to the version I had. Without the skin, I must admit that it made a huge difference in many positive ways.

I learned this tip online to easily remove the tomato skin. Here are the steps:

1. At the bottom of each tomato, slightly cut a cross. Each cut is a shallow slit.
2. Transfer them into a big heatproof mixing bowl.
3. Pour boiling water on top and make sure the tomatoes are submerged into the water. The hot water will sip through the cuts. Let them sit there for 3-5 minutes.
4. Carefully take the tomatoes out with a pair of tongs (the water is still very hot).
5. Starting from where you cut earlier and peel back the skin. It doesn’t take long or too much energy to accomplish this task.

Side Note: The first time when I did this, my bowl was not big enough to submerge all the tomatoes into the hot water. So, half of the tomatoes sticking to the skin so hard that I had some difficult time to peel it off.

Personally, I prefer to cut the fresh tomatoes into big wedges. By the time, this dish is served, I still can enjoy the chunks of tomato meat in the mix.

How to Cut the Tomatoes?

Before cutting up the tomatoes, you may want to ask yourself, "Do I want to have some good chunky tomatoes in this dish? Or do I want to have very tiny pieces and makes it feel like tomato sauce with eggs?"

As soon as the tomatoes go into the hot pan, they start to release the juices and turn soft. Then, the pieces start to break down. So, if the size is relatively big, there will be chunks of tomato meat, not too big. When you enjoy this dish of Chinese tomato egg stir fry, you can feel the tomato chunks instead of having tomato puree with bits and pieces. I chose to cut each tomato into 8 big wedges to get this kind of texture. This is just my personal choice.

On the other hand, if the tomatoes are cut into dices before cooking, it will be mushed by the time of serving. In short, it's totally up to you how big or small you want the tomatoes.

Garlic in This Dish

Typical Chinese dish always has garlic and/or ginger. But tomatoes and fried eggs are soft in general that I didn’t want to have a bite of garlic in the middle of it. So, I only added 2 cloves into the oil and get it fragrant before discarding them.

For garlic lovers, the other alternative is to grate the garlic into the sauce. The quickest way is to add garlic powder.

Role of Ketchup

Traditionally, ketchup plays a significant role in this Chinese tomato egg stir fry recipe. I know you are going to tell me that ketchup is not Chinese ingredient. Absolutely. The invention of this recipe was under the influence of western cuisine.

There are 2 main things that ketchup contributing in this dish:

1. Thickening the sauce. But you can cook the sauce a little bit longer to thicken it instead of adding ketchup.
2. Add some tanginess to the sauce. With less sugar or a splash of rice vinegar will will have the same effect.

In summary, ketchup is an optional ingredient here in this recipe.

Pair it with Noodles or Rice?

Normally, Chinese loves to pair this delicious dish with white rice. So do I. But being a devoted noodle lover, I tried once and served it along with noodles. Oh my, that was just as awesome as it goes with rice.

What I would recommend is to use noodles without eggs, such as rice noodles, Chinese sliced noodles and/or glass noodles would work. To add more fiber, soba noodles are fine as well. Be sure slightly uncooked the noodles to give it room to absorb all the ridiculous yummy sauce.

Since there is a lot of egg in this dish, pasta or any Chinese egg noodles may be a bit too much.

Canned tomato price can be very extreme. Certain brands are as expensive as you purchase the fresh ones. Whether it's the price or the convenience of skipping the preparation of this ingredient, how much does it mean to you? Only you can make that final decision.

Can You Use Canned Tomatoes?

This idea came to my mind because I am like many parents that my kid keeps me very busy with his school and extra-curricula.

Instead of spending time to prep the fresh tomatoes, I just use a can of peeled whole tomatoes.

Before adding this can of tomato into the pan to cook, use a pair of kitchen scissors roughly cut the tomatoes up. Add tomatoes and juice into the pan and add all the seasonings.

How did it turn out? I must admit that it was surprisingly good although the dish may miss a touch of freshness. But you can barely taste the difference.

Also, fresh tomatoes require to cook to get the juice out. As a result, it takes slightly longer. Canned tomatoes got the juice already. Everything comes to a boil much sooner. Caution: The longer you cook the canned tomatoes, the less sauce you will have at the end. Also, canned diced tomatoes may not have enough liquid to make that delicious sauce.

Another question you mostly like want to ask, "Is it cheaper by using canned tomatoes?" I did some research. It all depends on the brand you use. Certain brands are as expensive as the fresh one. You will have to choose between time or money saving.

Due to its convenience, you can even double the quantity of this dish. When that happens, make sure to use a deep skillet. So, everything stays inside the pan instead of spilling it out.

Chinese Tomato Egg Stir Fry Recipe and Instructions

Ingredients
4 Beef/House Tomatoes (or replace it with a 28-oz can of Whole Peeled Tomatoes)
2 Cloves Garlic
8 Eggs (beaten)
1 Scallion (optional; chopped)
2tsp Chinese Light Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp Salt
1-2 tsp Sugar
1 tbsp Ketchup (optional)
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 cups Hot Boiling Water

Instructions

1. At the bottom of each tomato, slit a cross and transfer to a big heat-proof mixing bowl.
2. Pour boiling water into the bowl and submerge tomatoes into the boiling water and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
3. Carefully take each tomato out and gently peel back the skin from where you cut earlier. The skin should be very easily coming off.
4. Cut out the core from the top of the tomatoes and discard. Then, cut tomatoes into wedges.
5. Preheat a big skillet at medium high heat. Add oil to fully cover the bottom of the skillet.
6. (If you choose to use canned tomatoes, skip all the steps above and start cooking Chinese tomato egg stir fry with eggs.)
7. Pour in beaten eggs and quick stir until egg is solidified, maybe slightly wet in some spots. Transfer to a plate and put it aside.
8. Add about 2tsp of oil into the same skillet and cook garlic to infuse the oil.
9. Carefully add in tomatoes. As you cook, the juice will get out, stir in seasonings to taste. Then stir in eggs. Garnish with scallions (optional). (If you use canned tomatoes, start adding seasonings as soon as the tomatoes and juice go into the pan. It will happen super quick.)
10. Enjoy with rice or noodles.

Chinese Tomato Egg Stir Fry Steps with Photos

Cut a cross at the bottom of each tomatoes.

Pour in hot boiling water and submerge tomatoes into it.

3-5 minutes later, peel the skin from the cut.

Tomato skins are all peeled off. Cut tomatoes to your preferred sizes.

Beat 8 large eggs.

Cook eggs in a hot pan with plenty of oil.

Transfer eggs out of the pan once it is solidified and still a little bit wet.

Using the same pan and add 2 cloves of garlic to infuse the oil.

Stir in tomato wedges and the juice will start to release. Add seasonings.

Add eggs back into the tomato and sauce.

Garnish with scallions and enjoy immediately.

Great to serve with either steamed white rice or white noodles.

You can also substitute fresh tomatoes with canned peeled whole tomatoes.

Use kitchen scissors to roughly cut up the tomatoes before cooking.

Once tomatoes are in the pan, start adding seasonings.

The volume of the sauce will be about the same before or after cooking. So, it needs to move to the next step quickly to prevent too much evaporation of the sauce.

Garnish with scallions and enjoy immediately.

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