Cuisine Fix: Eggs and Tomatoes (Stir Fry)

A traditional Chinese dish (at least in Northern China) is what is known as "Eggs and Tomatoes". This dish is incredibly simple as it requires only 3 ingredients, and takes about 5 minutes to prepare. While you might not be surprised to hear that it's one of my favorites to prepare, you will certainly be surprised that it is one of my favorites to eat also. I will honestly prefer to this to most "fancier" dishes you find in Chinese restaurants.

Only 3 ingredients!

As noted above, there are only 3 ingredients to prepare this dish --aside from something to serve with, like rice. The ingredients (as you can see from below) are: eggs, tomatoes, and garlic or onion. The proportion of eggs to tomatoes and vice versa varies according to individual tastes. For instance, if you like eggs, you might go on a 1-for-1 proportion of one egg for every tomato used; I like the 1-for-1, or sometimes even a little higher distribution (e.g. 5 eggs and 4 tomatoes). The photograph shows 5 scrambled eggs, 4 coarsely sliced tomatoes, and about 1/5 of a diced Vidalia onion. I prefer garlic but did not have it when I demoed. Of course you will also need oil and salt to complete the full ingredients spectrum.

Step 1 Completed (Scrambled Eggs Set Aside)

Here are the instructions to prepare this deliciousness:

1. Scramble the eggs first -- scramble the eggs in the fry pan first (using oil and a pinch of salt), remove and set them aside for later.
2. Add oil to the pan and begin to slowly fry the diced onions/sliced garlic. Do this until the onion/garlic is starting to slightly brown.
3. Add the sliced tomatoes to the pan, and quickly mix everything together. Put on the lid (if available) and let it simmer for a minute. The goal is to see the tomatoes slowly breakdown.
4. Add the scrambled eggs from Step 1 to the mix, along with a half a tablespoon of salt (again, depends on how salty you like it)
5. Mix everything and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and serve.

Dish Completed

As you can see, it's a really easy and straightforward dish. The dish itself may not be much of a looker but, if you followed the instructions right, it should taste great. A key ingredient is salt -- the taste is arguably enhanced the more salt you put in. I normally serve with rice, and maybe a few slices of meat (e.g. sausage as shown below).