Within the West, eggs are sometimes related to breakfast and brunch. However rising up in Hong Kong, I realized that eggs have been completely acceptable dinner fare. No less than as soon as every week, my mother would put together Chinese language scrambled eggs with shrimp, char siu (barbecued pork), or tomatoes, which we would eat alongside steamed fish, a stew of some variety, sautéed greens and—after all—rice. Of all of the variations on Chinese language scrambled eggs, my favourite is the model with tomatoes. 

Affectionately known as “tomato egg” in Chinese language households, the dish consists of soppy, jammy tomatoes folded into tender scrambled eggs. A contact of Shaoxing wine brings a delicate sweetness, whereas soy sauce and toasted sesame oil give it savory depth. Each household, nonetheless, has their very own model of tomato egg. As Critical Eats contributor Jenny Dorsey wrote in her James Beard award-nominated recipe for the dish, “the variations of tomato and egg are countless and ever-growing.” 

Most variations, together with Dorsey’s, require just some pantry staples and take lower than 20 minutes to whip up. To make it, you begin by gently scrambling eggs in a wok or skillet. As soon as the eggs are cooked, you switch them to a plate and add scallions, garlic, and ginger to the wok or skillet and cook dinner till they’re aromatic and softened. Then in go the tomatoes, and as soon as they’ve softened, the eggs return in and every little thing is stirred collectively.

Whereas the recipe on our web site doesn’t name for ketchup, I do take a web page out of my mother’s ebook and sweeten the tomatoes with a tablespoon or two of ketchup, together with a pinch of sugar, which boosts the tomatoes’ pure sweetness. The dish is particularly scrumptious when made with ripe, in-season tomatoes, however I substitute with drained canned complete plum tomatoes when there are not any plump, juicy tomatoes close to me. Simply as tomato egg was a staple of my dad and mom’ desk rising up, it has change into a go-to dinner for my household at the moment—and when my son is sufficiently old to cook dinner, it will most likely be the very first thing I train him, as a result of everybody ought to have just a few fast, straightforward, and budget-friendly egg recipes of their again pocket.

June 2025