番茄炒鸡蛋盖饭 Egg in Tomato Gravy over Rice

This post features a simple and basic recipe for Tomato Egg. Tomato egg is a very popular home style dish in Taiwan and across China. It is a dish that is often done to taste and so there are many variations that exist. I love them all. For another version of this dish check out this recipe for Sweet and Sour Tomato Egg.

The best Tomato Egg is made with the best quality tomatoes. Choose tomatoes that are bright red and juicy. You can leave the tomatoes on the counter for a day or two if they are not ripe enough. I have experimented with many varieties of tomatoes and I have consistently gotten the best results with Roma tomatoes so those are the tomatoes I recommend. My second favorite is vine ripened tomatoes. Also, never place tomatoes in the fridge, it changes the taste and texture of the tomatoes and they last for weeks on the counter so it is not needed anyways. If your tomatoes are not the best tomatoes you can always add a touch of tomato paste, tomato sauce or ketchup to make the tomato flavor richer and give it a brighter color.

I like to make the tomato gravy first and then fry the eggs so that they are mixed into the gravy immediately after being fried while they are still soft and fluffy. This gives you restaurant results. If the eggs sit, even for a few minutes, they clump together and are not as fluffy. It really is not a huge deal when you fry them. Most recipes I have seen actually tell you to fry the eggs first and it turns out fine although the difference is noticeable.

 Tomato Gravy
4 Roma or vine ripened tomatoes, blanched, skins removed and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
2 tsp. sugar, or to taste
1 tsp. chicken bouillon
1 cup water
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. Chinese black vinegar
sprinkle of sesame oil

For Scrambled Eggs
1/3 cup oil, for frying
3 Eggs, beaten

Chopped green onions for garnish (optional)

Making the Tomato Gravy
Make a cross cut on the  bottom of the tomatoes just skin deep  (this will make the tomatoes easier to peel once they are blanched).

Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for about one minute or until the skins appear wrinkled and have split open. Once cool enough to touch peel off the skins. The cross cut and blanching makes this easy.

Slice or chop the tomatoes.

Heat 1/2 Tbsp. oil in wok or skillet and fry garlic until fragrant. Add the chopped tomatoes and their juice. Add salt, sugar, chicken bouillon and 2/3's cup water. Cook until the tomatoes have formed a chunky sauce or according to your preference.

Remove tomato gravy and set aside. Clean the wok.

Scrambling the Eggs

Pre-heat 1/3rd cup oil over medium-medium high heat. Whisk the eggs and then add to the hot oil and allow it to cook for a few seconds without disturbing.

Then start folding the eggs over each other in sections until the eggs are cooked through. Give them a quick stir to break up the egg into pieces. I prefer my eggs soft and fluffy with no browning but if you like them browned you can cook them a little longer until browned.

Pour through a strainer to separate the eggs from the oil. Wipe out the wok.

Note: This will probably feel like alot of oil to you, this is how it is done in chinese restuarants (the eggs are deep-fried), this is the method you will want to use to get restaurant results. It effects the texture of the eggs. Of course you can decide to just scramble with a little oil as we do in the west if you don't like deep frying.

If you choose to deep-fry the eggs it is important that you do not stir the eggs quickly like you would do if you were scrambling eggs the western way. Because of the large amount of oil (liquid) the eggs are cooking in, being stirred quickly will give you thin wispy strands of egg more like those in egg drop soup. Use the folding method I describe in the recipe.

Finishing the Dish

Return eggs and tomato gravy to the wok. Mix remaining 1/3 cup water with 1 tsp. cornstarch and stir in. Add black vinegar and sesame oil. Taste and season with more salt, sugar or vinegar if needed.Serve over rice and garnish with chopped green onion if desired.

 

So simple and so delicious.

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