The Comforting Chinese Dish My Mom Made When Life Got Busy

In the West, eggs are often associated with breakfast and brunch. But growing up in Hong Kong, I learned that eggs were perfectly acceptable dinner fare. At least once a week, my mom would prepare Chinese scrambled eggs with shrimp, char siu (barbecued pork), or tomatoes, which we’d eat alongside steamed fish, a stew of some kind, sautéed greens and—of course—rice. Of all the variations on Chinese scrambled eggs, my favorite is the version with tomatoes. 

Affectionately called “tomato egg” in Chinese households, the dish consists of soft, jammy tomatoes folded into tender scrambled eggs. A touch of Shaoxing wine brings a subtle sweetness, while soy sauce and toasted sesame oil give it savory depth. Every family, however, has their own version of tomato egg. As Serious Eats contributor Jenny Dorsey wrote in her James Beard award-nominated recipe for the dish, “the variations of tomato and egg are endless and ever-growing.” 

Most versions, including Dorsey’s, require just a few pantry staples and take less than 20 minutes to whip up. To make it, you start by gently scrambling eggs in a wok or skillet. Once the eggs are cooked, you transfer them to a plate and add scallions, garlic, and ginger to the wok or skillet and cook until they’re fragrant and softened. Then in go the tomatoes, and once they’ve softened, the eggs go back in and everything is stirred together.

While the recipe on our site does not call for ketchup, I do take a page out of my mom’s book and sweeten the tomatoes with a tablespoon or two of ketchup, along with a pinch of sugar, which enhances the tomatoes’ natural sweetness. The dish is especially delicious when made with ripe, in-season tomatoes, but I substitute with drained canned whole plum tomatoes when there are no plump, juicy tomatoes near me. Just as tomato egg was a staple of my parents’ table growing up, it has become a go-to dinner for my family today—and when my son is old enough to cook, this will probably be the first thing I teach him, because everyone should have a few quick, easy, and budget-friendly egg recipes in their back pocket.