Roundup: 5 “tomato and egg” recipes!
There are far more talented writers, recipe developers, and cooks out there than me. So instead of writing my own recipes to share, these “Roundup” posts are curated short lists of tried-and-true recipes and sometimes sprinkled with a little commentary or substitution notes from me.
In Chinese cooking, there’s a homestyle dish called tomato and egg (番茄炒蛋 “faan ke chow daan” or sometimes abbreviated to 茄蛋 “ke daan”). The dish is a humble one and only has tomatoes and eggs as its main ingredients.
Aromatics and seasonings such as ginger and white pepper add complexity and zing. But in the version my mom and many other cooks make, a bit of ketchup is added to lend brightness and liven up the cooked tomatoes.
For me, the magic of tomato and egg is how ubiquitous but also unique it is for many Chinese families. Each household has their own set of seasonings and steps. Some like it over rice, others like it over noodles. But however it’s cooked and served with, it’s a dish that represents home. Tomato and egg has become my personal cultural portal whenever I want to feel more connected to my heritage in under 30 minutes.
Ready to make yours?
Made with Lau Of the recipes in the list, this one is most similar to how my mom and I make ours. The only addition I have is the corn starch slurry for soft scramble-y eggs; it’s like insurance policy against overcooked eggs.
Francis Lam for NYT Includes rice wine in the eggs as well as ketchup in the sauce.
Kenji López-Alt Feels like a “grown up” version of the classic with a dash of fish sauce and butter in the eggs as well as garlic chives to flavor the oil.
張媽媽廚房Mama Cheung One of the few recipes I saw that includes onions but definitely works in this dish.
Pailin’s Kitchen Also has fish sauce added to the eggs. The addition of soy sauce in the tomatoes is unusual but a clever way to boost umami.
Bonus! Variation with noodles:
Lucas Sin’s Tomato and Egg Noodle Soup via Thrillist
Hetty McKinnon’s Tomato and Egg Drop Noodle Soup via Bon Appétit