Just a few years back, I hated tomatoes, until I ate a juicy, roasted tomato at The Coffee Connoisseur. From then on, I was a convert. I still don’t particularly like raw tomatoes, but I love tomatoes that are cooked to a soft, juicy state. A few months back, I had my first taste of Stir-Fried Tomato and Eggs, and then I realised I’ve been missing out on such good food for so long! My mother never cooked this dish at home since my sister isn’t a big fan of tomatoes either, so I’ve actually never had Stir-Fried Tomato and Eggs until recently. What is amazing about this dish is that it is one of the simplest yet tastiest Chinese dishes you can make. Preparation is minimal, and you can whip up this dish in just 5 minutes. And the tomato juices, which are rich in glutamic acid, lend the dish a rich, umami flavour.
Beat eggs in a bowl. Season with salt to taste.
Roughly chop tomatoes to desired size.
Chop spring onion.
Add 1 tbsp of sugar to counterbalance the sour notes of the tomato ketchup and juices.
Add tomato ketchup for a richer flavour. You can omit this if you prefer.
In a hot frypan, add 1-2 tbsp of oil. More oil results in fluffier eggs.
Once oil is hot, add beaten eggs into frypan. Slowly scramble the eggs with a spatula, carefully breaking the eggs into smaller pieces. Remove the eggs once they set (no longer liquid). Do not overcook the eggs as they will be cooked a second time!
In the same frypan, add a little more oil. Add spring onions and fry till fragrant.
Add tomatoes, as well as some salt to taste. The salt helps to draw out water from the tomatoes, speeding up the cooking process.
Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat. Allow the tomatoes to cook for about 2-3 minutes until they become soft (to your desired softness).
Add ketchup & sugar and stir-fry.
Add some water if you prefer more sauce.
Return eggs to the pan and mix well with the tomatoes. Then serve with rice once done.
And tuck in! This is one of those dishes that requires very little effort but tastes amazing. As tomatoes are rich in glutamic acid, the very chemical compound that produces the umami flavour.
Tomato and Eggs Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs beaten ($0.60)
- 2 medium tomatoes roughly chopped ($0.60)
- 1 stalk spring onion chopped ($0.10)
- 1.50 tbsp tomato ketchup $0.093
- 1 tsp sugar $0.006
- salt to taste
- water optional
Instructions
- Beat eggs in a bowl and season with salt to taste. Roughly chop tomato to desired size.
- Heat a frypan till hot, then add 1-2 tbsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, add beaten eggs into pan and slowly scramble the eggs with a spatula. Once the eggs have just set (no longer liquid), remove eggs from pan. Do not cook the eggs for too long as they will be cooked a second time.
- In the same frypan, add a little more oil. Fry spring onions till fragrant.
- Add tomatoes & salt to taste. The salt helps to draw out water from the tomatoes, speeding up the cooking process. Stir fry for a minute then cover with a lid. Reduce the heat and let tomatoes cook for 2-3 minutes, until desired softness.
- Remove lid. Add tomato ketchup & sugar, then stir fry. Add some water if you prefer more sauce.
- Return eggs to pan and mix evenly with tomatoes. Once well-mixed, remove tomatoes & eggs and serve with rice.
