Sunday, September 16, 2012

Stir Fried Egg and Tomatoes

Everyone, at some point in time, has had the horrific experience of opening the pantry to find it bare -even worse than that is when it is full of things that don't go together. If you're anything like me after a long day, you're usually too tired to go to the supermarket let alone trying to come up with a delicious meal on the spot.

Luckily for me, my parents taught  me a delicious dish that only requires two main ingredients that most people have lying around and, the best thing is that it is incredibly simple and takes almost no time at all. It's the perfect thing for a busy working person or a strapped-for-cash student. I could cook this on my own at the age of 7 so it's pretty much fool proof!

Not pictured: eggs
Despite what the picture above suggests, the two main ingredients are tomatoes and eggs -the photo is just a photo of the ingredients that were sourced from my garden (wouldn't it be cool if you could grow eggs?!). 

Although this may sound like a strange combination, be assured that the result is amazing. The scrambled eggs provide a nice bite while the tomatoes practically melt into a sweet, yet tart sauce.


Stir fried egg and tomatoes is a dish that can be found in homes all over China and comes in many different forms. All recipes include salt, pepper, spring onions and a little sugar to bring out the tomato's natural sweetness. The recipe I've posted below is one that I have tweaked to my own specific tastes -Shao xing wine to give a little boozy flavour, soy sauce (instead of salt) to add a bit of colour and coriander to make it more fragrant.

The best thing about this dish is that it comes together in less than 15 minutes and is my go to recipe if I'm ever in need of a quick lunch or some comfort food. The recipe is incredibly simple to remember and is easy to tweak to your own tastes so you don't have to memorise a massive list of ingredients.

Stir Fried Egg and Tomatoes go extremely well with some steamed rice and is best enjoyed piping hot. It's also quite nice cold which makes it nice for a packed lunch. 


What is your go to recipe?

Lucy's Stir Fried Egg and Tomatoes (Serves 2)

Ingredients:
3 large eggs, beaten
2 large tomatoes, sliced into rough wedges
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 spring onion, finely chopped
2 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon white pepper
handful of coriander, chopped

Method:
1. Add vegetable to a hot a wok or large frying pan and swirl to coat the base.
2. Pour in eggs and scramble until they are just cooked but still light.
3. Throw in tomatoes and cover for 2-3 minutes, until they start to release their juices.
4. Add spring onion, soy sauce, cooking wine, white pepper and sugar and mix until combined.
5. Stir through coriander and let the sauce reduce a little before transferring to a serving dish.
6. Sprinkle a little extra coriander over the top.
7. Enjoy piping hot!