Foodie Fridays: Chinese Stir-Fried Tomatoes and Eggs

About a week before I left my sister and New York, one of her friends from church invited us over for a dinner to be prepared by her daughter, who is a college undergraduate and already a fantastic cook.  The daughter had just returned from a trip to China and was excited to prepare a meal of Chinese dishes she had sampled while there.  One of the dishes she made was Chinese Stir-Fried Tomatoes and Eggs, which is apparently a type of comfort food for many Chinese.  Both my sister and I loved her version of the dish, and my sister decided she had to try making it herself.  She found a recipe online and printed out a copy for me.  She made the dish after I left and loved it.  I finally had a chance to prepare this recipe for myself last week, and I loved it too!

You could serve this dish as breakfast, brunch, lunch or even a light dinner.  Traditionally these eggs are served with rice, but since I try to avoid carbs I eat them plain with a side dish of cooked vegetables (sautéed greens and/or sliced summer squash work well).  The only change I would make next time from the original recipe is to reduce the catsup by half as I found the taste of this condiment to be a bit too strong for my liking.  I used more eggs than called for because our hen Dixie is laying right now and her eggs are smaller than those used in most recipes (I also reduced the amount of cooking oil slightly because it seemed a bit excessive).  I am so happy to have another excellent egg recipe to help use up Dixie's eggs!

Chinese Stir-Fried Tomatoes and Eggs

6 large eggs (I used 10 medium-sized eggs from our hen)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 T. rice wine or dry sherry
1 tsp. cornstarch
1-2 T. catsup
1 lb. fresh tomatoes, or 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes in juice
3 T. canola oil
3-4 scallions, sliced
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger

Beat the eggs together with the next three ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Combine the cornstarch with 2 T. water in a small bowl until well combined.  Stir in the catsup.  If using fresh tomatoes, core them if they are large and cut into 1/2-inch wide wedges.

Heat a wide nonstick skillet over high heat with 2 T. canola oil.  When the oil shimmers, add the scallions and cook, stirring, for about 20 seconds, until very aromatic.  Add the eggs and cook, stirring well with a spatula, until just set but still runny, about 45 seconds.  Pour the egg mixture back into the mixing bowl and wipe out the skillet with paper towels.

Reheat the pan over high heat with the remaining oil.  When it is hot, add the ginger and cook until aromatic, about 15 seconds.  Add the tomatoes (with salt to taste if desired) and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but still firm enough to retain shape and the juices have begun forming a sauce, about 2-3 minutes.  (If using canned tomatoes, add the juice as well and cook for about 4 minutes until the mixture reduces to a sauce-like consistency.)

Reduce the heat to medium.  Stir the cornstarch mixture and add to the skillet.  Cook, stirring, until the sauce returns to a boil and thickens.  Stir the eggs in the bowl to cut up the curds a bit.  Add them to the skillet and cook, stirring, for a few seconds to finish cooking the eggs.  Serve over steamed rice and top with additional sliced scallions, if desired.  Serves 3-4.