Chinese Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry (西红柿炒鸡蛋) — The Most-Cooked Chinese Dish

Name: Chinese Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry (西红柿炒鸡蛋) — The Most-Cooked Chinese Dish
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 4 large ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges; 4 eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt; 2 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp ketchup (optional, for colour); ½ tsp salt; 3 tbsp neutral oil; 1 spring onion, sliced

Prep:10 min

Cook:10 min

Serves:2–4

Difficulty:Medium

Tomato and egg stir-fry (西红柿炒鸡蛋, xī hóng shì chǎo jī dàn) is the single most cooked dish in Chinese households — the one every Chinese person learns to make first. It's embarrassingly simple: just tomatoes, eggs, sugar, and salt, cooked in a wok in under 10 minutes. Yet it's extraordinarily satisfying — soft, silky scrambled eggs folded through a sweet-sour tomato sauce that's somehow more than the sum of its parts.

This dish is so fundamental to Chinese home cooking that it's often called 'the national dish of China.' Every family has their own version — some add ketchup, some use sugar, some add spring onions.

Ingredients

• 4 large ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 4 eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp ketchup (optional, for colour)
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 spring onion, sliced

Instructions

1
Beat eggs with a pinch of salt. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok over high heat.
2
Pour in eggs. Let them set for 15 seconds, then gently fold into large, soft curds. Remove when still slightly wet — they'll continue cooking from residual heat.
3
Add remaining oil. Add tomato wedges and stir-fry for 3 minutes until they soften and release their juices.
4
Add sugar, salt, and ketchup if using. Stir until a saucy consistency forms.
5
Return the eggs to the wok. Fold gently to combine — don't overmix or the eggs will break into small pieces.
6
Garnish with spring onions and serve immediately over steamed rice.

Pro Tips

💡Use ripe, sweet tomatoes — this dish relies entirely on the natural sweetness of good tomatoes.
💡Remove eggs while still slightly underset — they'll finish cooking when returned to the wok with the tomatoes.
💡Sugar is essential — it balances the acidity of the tomatoes and brings out their sweetness.