Chinese Tomato Egg Stir-Fry (Fānqié Chǎodàn)

What Does it Taste Like?

The flavour is simple but very satisfying.

You get sweetness and acidity from the tomatoes, richness from the eggs, a little savouriness from the salt and gentle warmth from white pepper.

The teaspoon of sugar in my recipe isn’t meant to make the dish noticeably sweet. It balances the acidity of the tomatoes.

Your tomatoes determine how much sugar you actually need. Properly ripe summer tomatoes may need very little. January tomatoes in Britain sometimes need encouragement, a little pep talk and possibly ketchup.

What Makes a Good Tomato Egg Stir-Fry?

There aren’t many ingredients here, so each one has rather more work to do.

Keep the Eggs Soft

The biggest mistake you can make is overcooking the eggs.

Cook them quickly in a hot wok or frying pan, then remove them while they’re still slightly glossy. They’ll cook again when they’re folded through the tomatoes later.

If you cook them completely during the first stage, they’ll be overdone by the time the dish reaches the table.

Adding a tablespoon of water to the beaten eggs also helps keep them tender and light.

Use Ripe Tomatoes

This is not the recipe for those pale, hard tomatoes. You want ripe, juicy tomatoes with a good balance of sweetness and acidity because their juices form the sauce.

Vine tomatoes work particularly well, but any properly ripe medium or large tomatoes are fine.

Add a Little Sugar

Sugar is commonly used in tomato egg stir-fry because it softens the acidity of the tomatoes.

I use one teaspoon as a starting point, but always taste.

You may need less with beautifully ripe tomatoes and a little more when cooking with winter tomatoes.

Use Enough Oil for the Eggs

The eggs need enough oil to puff slightly and stay tender.

I use two tablespoons to cook the eggs and another tablespoon for the tomatoes.

You can reduce that slightly if you’re using a very good non-stick pan, but the eggs won’t be quite as soft and luxurious.

Cook the Eggs and Tomatoes Separately

This is the one technique I wouldn’t skip.

Cook the eggs first and remove them from the pan. Then cook the tomatoes and return the eggs right at the end.

It gives you control over both textures.

Cook everything together from the beginning and you risk watery eggs, undercooked tomatoes or rubbery scrambled eggs.

Ingredients for Chinese Tomato Egg Stir-Fry

• Eggs: 4 large eggs. Beat them thoroughly with a little salt, white pepper and 1 Tbsp water before cooking. The water helps keep the eggs soft and tender.
• Tomatoes: You’ll need about 450–500g ripe tomatoes (about 1 lb), usually 3 medium tomatoes. Cut them into fairly chunky wedges rather than small dice. Some will break down and form the sauce, while the rest should retain a little shape.
• Spring onions or chives: Spring onions are the more usual choice and add a mild onion flavour. Finely chopped ordinary chives make a perfectly good substitute. If using spring onions, cook the white parts briefly and scatter the green parts over at the end. If using chives, add them only at the end as they’re much more delicate. Chinese chives, or garlic chives, are different from ordinary chives; they have flat leaves and a much stronger garlic flavour.
• White pepper: This works particularly well with eggs and gives a gentle background heat. Black pepper is fine if that’s what you have.
• Sugar: Start with 1 tsp and adjust depending on the sweetness and acidity of your tomatoes.
• Toasted sesame oil: A small amount at the end adds aroma. It’s optional, and I do mean a small amount. I tend to skip it usually.

Do You Need to Peel the Tomatoes?

No. I leave the skins on because they soften during cooking and I don’t find them troublesome.

If you prefer a smoother sauce, you can peel the tomatoes first. Score a shallow cross in the base, cover them with boiling water for around 30 seconds, then transfer them to cold water. The skins should peel away easily.

How to Make Chinese Tomato Egg Stir-Fry

1. Prepare Everything First
   Get everything ready before heating the wok, as the actual cooking happens quickly.
   This isn’t the moment to discover the sugar is still in the cupboard on the other side of the kitchen. Happens to the best of us.
2. Cook the Eggs
   Remove the eggs while they’re still soft and slightly glossy.
   They’ll cook again later, so don’t wait until they look completely done.
3. Cook the Tomatoes
   Cook for two to three minutes, gently pressing a few of the tomato pieces with your spatula to release their juices.
   You want some of the tomato to collapse into the sauce while plenty of pieces retain their shape.
4. Return the Eggs
   Break them into large pieces with the spatula and gently fold them through the tomato sauce.
   Cook for just 30-60 seconds, until everything is hot, then take it off the heat.
   Drizzle over the toasted sesame oil, if using.
   Finish with the green parts of the spring onions or the chopped chives.

Do You Need Ketchup in Chinese Tomato Egg Stir-Fry?

No. Having said that, don’t think that ketchup is some outrageous modern corruption; some cooks use it and some don’t. It has long been a flavour enhancer on Asian cooking of whatever inclination.

Ketchup gives the dish extra sweetness, acidity, colour and concentrated tomato flavour. It can be particularly useful when your fresh tomatoes aren’t especially good. Which, in Britain, is not an entirely theoretical problem, no?

If you’d like to use it, add 1 Tbsp ketchup with the tomatoes, but go easy on the sugar. Use half to begin with, then taste and adjust at the end, if necessary.

Without ketchup, the flavour is fresher and lighter. With it, the sauce is sweeter, slightly richer and more intensely tomatoey.

I usually make the recipe without it when the tomatoes are good, but I’m certainly not above reaching for the bottle when they aren’t.

How to Serve Chinese Tomato Egg Stir-Fry

Steamed rice is the obvious accompaniment. Spoon the tomato egg over the rice so that all those tomato juices soak into it.

You can serve it:

• as a quick vegetarian main
• as one dish in a larger Chinese meal
• with stir-fried greens
• with a cucumber salad
• with plain noodles
• with other simple Chinese home-style dishes

It works for lunch or dinner, although I’d happily eat it for breakfast too. Eggs have never respected meal times in my house.

Variations

Tomato Egg Stir-Fry with Ketchup

Add 1 Tbsp ketchup along with the tomatoes, as discussed above.

Taste before adding the full amount of sugar, as the ketchup will already contribute sweetness.

Garlic and Ginger

Garlic and ginger aren’t essential to tomato egg stir-fry, but either can be added if you want a little more aromatic warmth.

Use 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped, or about 1 tsp finely grated or shredded fresh ginger, and stir-fry briefly in the oil before adding the tomatoes. You can use both, but keep the quantities modest so the tomatoes and eggs remain the main event.

With Shaoxing Wine

Add one teaspoon of Shaoxing wine to the beaten eggs for a little extra aroma.

With Soy Sauce

Add up to one teaspoon of light soy sauce to the tomatoes.

Don’t add too much or you’ll lose the fresh tomato flavour that makes this dish what it is.

With Chilli

Add sliced fresh chilli with the garlic or finish the dish with chilli oil or chilli crisp. I do this pretty often.

Extra-Saucy Tomato Egg Stir-Fry

Increase the water by another two or three tablespoons and let the tomatoes cook for an additional minute before adding the eggs.

If you prefer a slightly thicker sauce, you can add a very small cornflour slurry, although I generally prefer to let the tomatoes do the work.

How to Store Leftovers

Chinese tomato egg stir-fry is best freshly cooked, while the eggs are still soft.

If you do have leftovers, cool them quickly and store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Reheat gently in a frying pan over low to medium heat, adding a splash of water if the sauce has thickened.

You can also microwave it in short bursts. Don’t overheat it. The eggs have already completed one shift.

Can You Freeze Tomato Egg Stir-Fry?

I wouldn’t.

Cooked eggs can become rather spongy after freezing and thawing, while the tomatoes release even more liquid.

Considering how quickly this dish comes together, you’re better off making it fresh.

FAQs

Final Word

And there you have it: Chinese tomato egg stir-fry, or fānqié chǎodàn. Soft eggs, juicy tomatoes and just enough lightly sweet, tangy sauce to make a bowl of plain rice considerably more interesting.

It’s inexpensive, quick and forgiving, provided you don’t overcook the eggs.

Use the ripest tomatoes you can find, taste before adding more sugar and don’t worry if your version looks slightly different from someone else’s. This is home cooking. There are plenty of family versions as you’d expect.

Make it, let me know what you think, and tag me on Instagram or Facebook @azlinbloor with a picture.

More soon,

Lin xx

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