番茄炒蛋 is Chinese 家常菜 at its most revealing: few ingredients, but only a narrow window between cloud-soft egg, raw watery tomato, and rubbery overcooking.
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Calculated estimate · per serving
Nutrition information
medium confidence
1 of 2 recipe servings; optional 200 g cooked jasmine rice excluded
Energy
1460 kJ349 kcal
Protein
15.1 g
Carbohydrate
14.8 g
Sugars
10.3 g
Dietary fibre
3.5 g
Total fat
24.8 g
Saturated fat
4.4 g
Sodium
945 mg
How this estimate was calculated
Calculated from the authored edible ingredient weights using representative AFCD Release 3 and USDA FoodData Central profiles, then divided by the recipe yield. Energy follows the FSANZ ingredient-contribution method. Optional serving accompaniments are excluded. The calculation counts four 50 g edible eggs and all measured neutral and sesame oil, salt, and cooking wine.
Calculated estimate only, not a laboratory result or personalised dietary advice. Actual values vary with brands, produce, meat trim, substitutions, final serving size, and how much cooking or rendered oil is left in the pan or skimmed. Check packaged labels for allergens and sodium; consult an accredited practising dietitian or clinician for medical dietary needs.
Read the action and cue together. Move on when the food matches the cue.
Generated reference - not verified cook evidence.01
5 min
Cut tomatoes without losing their juice
Core each tomato and cut it into eight bite-size wedges, roughly 2–3 cm. Keep every seed and drop of juice. Separate the scallion whites from the greens. Peeling is optional; for thick-skinned tomatoes, score, blanch for 30 seconds, chill, and peel before cutting.
Plump tomato wedges sit in their own juice, with white and green scallion parts held separately.
Common mistake: Removing seeds or cutting tiny dice makes the result dry or indistinct.
Recovery: Pause before the next step, compare the cue, then correct heat, moisture, or seasoning while the dish is still flexible.
Generated reference - not verified cook evidence.02
1 min
Beat the eggs until lightly aerated
Whisk the eggs with 15 ml of the measured cold water, 1.5 g of the measured salt, all the white pepper, and the Shaoxing for 30–45 seconds. Reserve the remaining 45 ml water and 2.5 g salt for the tomatoes. Stop when whites and yolks are fully joined and fine foam forms.
The mixture is evenly golden with fine bubbles and no translucent white ropes.
Common mistake: A few lazy fork strokes leave rubbery white streaks and uneven curds.
Recovery: Pause before the next step, compare the cue, then correct heat, moisture, or seasoning while the dish is still flexible.
Generated reference - not verified cook evidence.03
1 min
Soft-scramble and lift early
For carbon steel, preheat the wok until the first wisp of smoke; for non-stick, heat until properly hot but not smoking. Add 20 ml of the measured oil, reserving 10 ml for the tomato. Pour in the egg, leave it for 3 seconds, then make broad sweeping folds so liquid runs onto the hot surface. Transfer to a clean plate after about 25–35 seconds, when only 70–75% set.
Large puffy curds remain glossy and moist on top with no brown crust.
Common mistake: Fully cooking the eggs now guarantees rubbery eggs after the second pass.
Recovery: Pause before the next step, compare the cue, then correct heat, moisture, or seasoning while the dish is still flexible.
Generated reference - not verified cook evidence.04
3 min
Draw a fresh sauce from the tomatoes
Add the reserved 10 ml oil. Sizzle the prepared scallion whites for about 10 seconds, then add the tomatoes over high heat for 30 seconds. Add the reserved 2.5 g salt and all the sugar, toss, then add the reserved 45 ml water. Cover over medium-high for 60–90 seconds. Uncover, press only about one-quarter of the wedges, and cook another 30–60 seconds.
Wedge edges soften and release an orange-red sauce that coats the wok while most centres remain intact.
Common mistake: Boiling every wedge into purée or adding a heavy slurry makes the dish gloopy and flat.
Recovery: Lower the heat immediately, skim or stir gently, and continue at a small simmer until the surface calms.
Generated reference - not verified cook evidence.05
1 min
Fold once, verify, and serve
Lower to medium. Return the egg and fold only two or three times for 20–30 seconds so the tomato sauce settles into the curds. Verify the thickest curd reaches 71°C and no liquid raw egg remains; if necessary, cover for only 10–15 seconds. Turn off the heat immediately, add the sesame oil and prepared scallion greens, and serve with the optional jasmine rice. Refrigerate leftovers in a shallow container within 2 hours and use within 2 days for best texture; reheat once to 74°C.
Distinct golden folds hold red-orange sauce in their creases, with bright scallion and no watery pool.
Common mistake: Chopping or simmering the curds in the sauce turns them small and tough.
Recovery: Lower to a gentle simmer and give it more time; texture fixes happen slowly, not with harder heat.
Fix problems
Find the decision that changes the result.
The active method already includes its most likely mistake and recovery. Open the reference library when your question falls outside the current step.
Browse 9 recipe answers
9/9
How do I keep the eggs fluffy instead of rubbery?
Beat until fine foam appears, use a properly hot pan, sweep broad folds, and remove the curds at 70–75% set. Their second pass in the tomato sauce finishes the cook.
Do I need ketchup or cornstarch in Tomato Egg Stir-Fry?
Neither is required for this fresh home-style version. For weak winter tomatoes, 15 g ketchup with sugar reduced to 2 g is a documented family variation; a small slurry is more useful for a noodle topping than a rice plate.
How do I rescue a watery Tomato Egg Stir-Fry?
Lift the egg out, reduce the tomato liquid over high heat for 30–60 seconds, then refold the curds briefly. Do not simmer the eggs while reducing.
Can I prepare Tomato Egg Stir-Fry ahead?
Cut tomatoes and scallions up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerate them, but beat and cook the eggs close to serving. The finished dish is best immediately and should not be frozen.
What is the decisive ready cue for Tomato Egg Stir-Fry?
Keep large cloud-soft egg curds distinct inside a fresh, spoonable tomato sauce. Look for separate golden curds, bright tomato sauce, scallion green, and no watery pool: Distinct golden curds hold tomato sauce in their creases, the thickest curd reaches 71°C, and no thin pool remains.
What should I do if Tomato Egg Stir-Fry misses its cue?
Chopping or simmering the curds in the sauce turns them small and tough. Lower to a gentle simmer and give it more time; texture fixes happen slowly, not with harder heat.
How should I scale Tomato Egg Stir-Fry?
Scale the measured ingredients with the serving count, then scale the vessel or work in batches. Keep the same visual finish - separate golden curds, bright tomato sauce, scallion green, and no watery pool - rather than forcing the original timer.
Which substitutions are tested for Tomato Egg Stir-Fry?
ripe medium tomatoes: for weak winter tomatoes, add 15 g ketchup with the water and reduce sugar to 2 g; neutral cooking oil, divided: canola, rice-bran, peanut, or vegetable oil; ground white pepper: black pepper, accepting visible dark flecks and a sharper aroma; Shaoxing cooking wine: 5 ml water for an alcohol-free version
Which Tomato Egg Stir-Fry ingredients should not be swapped casually?
ripe medium tomatoes: Keep the seeds and juice; dry seeded flesh cannot make the spoonable sauce.; large eggs: Use clean, uncracked eggs and cook the thickest curd to 71°C; texture alone is not a safety test.; Shaoxing cooking wine: Contains alcohol and may contain wheat or sulphites; check the exact label.; toasted sesame oil: Contains sesame; add only after the heat is off.
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Melbourneripe medium tomatoes (tomat merah matang)
Choose the ripest thin-skinned round or vine tomatoes first; the nearest or cheapest pack is not useful if the fruit cannot release a fresh sauce. Eggs and scallions are standard supermarket lines.
ripe medium tomatoes: for weak winter tomatoes, add 15 g ketchup with the water and reduce sugar to 2 g.
ripe medium tomatoes: Keep the seeds and juice; dry seeded flesh cannot make the spoonable sauce.
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Jakartatomat merah matang (ripe medium tomatoes)
Buy ripe tomatoes, clean uncracked eggs, and scallions from a high-turnover pasar stall or supermarket; cook the dish the same day for the clearest texture.
ripe medium tomatoes: for weak winter tomatoes, add 15 g ketchup with the water and reduce sugar to 2 g.
ripe medium tomatoes: Keep the seeds and juice; dry seeded flesh cannot make the spoonable sauce.
ripe tomato, scallion, Shaoxing, white pepper, sesame
Egg and tomato are cooked separately. The eggs leave the wok at roughly three-quarters set; tomatoes then make their own sauce before the eggs return for only a brief final fold.
Taste profile
Fluffy egg, sweet-tart fresh tomato, light scallion aroma, white pepper, and restrained sesame.
番茄炒蛋, also called 西红柿炒鸡蛋, is widely recognised Chinese home cooking. Families differ on scallion or ginger, garlic, ketchup, slurry, wine, sesame oil, and sweetness, so this is labelled a balanced home version rather than the single authentic formula.
Contains or may contain: egg, sesame, wheat/gluten depending on Shaoxing wine.
Check packaged-ingredient labels and cross-contamination advice for the brands you use.
Budget
Planning estimate only - not live or locally verified pricing
Indonesia
Rp25k–40k for 2
Australia
A$7–10 for 2
What belongs where
One dish. Distinct flavour parts.
Egg and tomato are cooked as two separate texture systems, then combined for seconds. The short final fold is what preserves tender curds inside a glossy tomato sauce.
Bumbu or sambal?A 30-second beginner glossary
Bumbu
The dish's seasoning system: it may be ground, sliced, or left whole, but it is cooked into the food. Bumbu does not automatically mean a jarred paste.
Sambal
A chilli-led preparation with its own salt, acid, aroma, and texture. It can be fresh or cooked and usually remains a condiment, even when you make it during the recipe.
Sauce, glaze, or broth
These words describe function and texture. A broth carries the dish; a glaze coats it; neither becomes bumbu simply because it is strongly seasoned.
Pelengkap
The accompaniments that complete a plate - lalapan, rice, crackers, herbs, lime, or fried shallot. Add them at serving unless the method says otherwise.
01
Main componentBuilt separately · combined later
Soft scrambled egg curds
Make it
Beat egg strongly with its measured seasoning, then sweep broad curds through hot oil and remove them while still glossy and softly set.
Ready when
Curds are large, tender, and just set with no browned crust or loose raw egg.
Keep separate
Do not leave the egg in the pan while tomato releases water; it will become tight and spongy.
Store safely
Serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and reheat once until fully hot, accepting a firmer egg texture.
Cook tomato with scallion white, sugar, salt, white pepper, Shaoxing wine, and measured water only until juice becomes glossy and some wedges retain shape.
Ready when
The sauce pools thickly around softened wedges but is not ketchup-red, pasty, or watery.
Keep separate
This sauce uses the tomato's own pectin and measured reduction; a starch slurry is optional, not hidden in the base method.
Store safely
If preparing ahead, keep the sauce separate and reheat it before briefly folding in freshly cooked egg.
Storage notes are conservative home-kitchen guidance. Chill perishable food within 2 hours, keep it at 5°C or colder, and follow local food-safety and package directions when they are stricter.
Sources & evidence
What supports this guide.
Sources support the specific technique or safety point stated below. Generated reference imagery is editorial guidance, not proof that this recipe has passed an independent cook test.
Cross-checks the four-egg to 500 g tomato scale, strongly beaten egg, separate soft egg cooking, brief covered tomato sauce, and short final fold with Shaoxing, white pepper, sugar, and sesame oil.
Boundary: This is one well-documented family version. Scallion or ginger, ketchup, slurry, wine, sesame oil, and sweetness vary widely across Chinese homes.
Cross-checks optional tomato peeling, strongly beaten egg, removing curds while still underdone, cooking tomatoes separately, and ketchup or slurry as one Cantonese family style.
Boundary: The ketchup-and-slurry approach is presented as a legitimate variation, not a requirement for all tomato-and-egg dishes.
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