Chinese Stir-Fried Tomatoes and Eggs

I am the son of Italian immigrants. My mother made eggs like this. In a cast iron skillet, slowly cook some fresh tomatoes until most liquid is gone. Carefully break eggs into sauce without breaking the yolk. With a fork stir the egg white into the sauce so that it solidifies and combines. Leave the yolk whole. If worried about the yolk being fully cooked, cover for a couple of minutes. Then serve.

This was in the 1930s and 40s.

I had never heard of this before, and I made it exactly as written (using the canned tomato option). (Correction: I did reduce the frying oil by half.)

Wow! I have a new easy weeknight favorite. Delicious with a thick piece of dense, grainy toast.

Here's a tip: keep fingers of ginger frozen in a Ziploc bag. As you need ginger, simply peel a bit of a fingertip and use a microplane to grate the frozen ginger. (Frozen ginger grates MUCH more easily.) Then put the bag back in the fridge.

This (a version of it minus the rice wine) is a very familiar breakfast food all over South Asia. The Parsee version is called akoori scrambles. In the south there's a delightful version using curry leaves and chili peppers along with cilantro and tomatoes. Try adding curry powder, its aromatic and amazing, the complex flavors tingle in the mouth and you are fully awake!

I loved all the personal stories and the versions of this recipe that cross cultures. Thanks to the NYT readers for sharing. It makes me proud to be part of this community.

Thank you for this recipe/ Yes, in North India, we too have a version but it's more like an omelet that has tomatoes, cilantro, minced onion, and chopped green chillies. (no rice wine). And served over an "aaloo paratha" (stuffed wheat flat-bread). Ketchup is not traditional (too sweet) but the kids seem to like it sprinkled on top. It is a breakfast food and goes wonderfully with masala chai.

In Greece its called Kayiana, and its made by scrambling eggs, fresh chopped tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, salt/pepper and if you like, cheese. It is delicious!

If you want to go even simpler... try mom's version of tomato eggs, Shanghai style. It only calls for tomatoes (thinly sliced) + a sprinkle of sugar and squeeze of fresh lemon when sautéed, beaten eggs + shao xing cooking wine + pinch of salt. that's it!! No need for anything else, really. It's fresh and light.

A similar recipe from my mother's Italy. break parmesan cheese into small pieces ( a fork works well). put a small amount of olive oil in a pan. Brown the cheese bits in a fast and hot pan... do not melt the cheese bits. Stir in 4-6 well beaten eggs, stir as they are cooking. Just before they firm up add a few tablespoons of tomato sauce and stir to finish.
Great hot, great cold, makes a wonderful addition to a summer spread of cheese and veggies.

Tomato scrambled eggs and rice sustained me through college! The ratio of economical to tasty is simply unbeatable. My family is Taiwanese though, and my mom's version uses only eggs, tomatoes, garlic, salt, sugar, and olive oil

I'd never had or even heard of this dish until I found this recipe but decided to give it a shot - delicious! Simple to make but super flavorful. I took the advice of some of the commenters and omitted the ketchup, though did mix a bit of sriracha into the corn starch slurry for added sweetness and spice. I also seasoned the tomatoes with a bit of soy sauce instead of salt for extra umami. This will DEFINITELY become a staple in my household!

I am SO sorry that Francis Lam won't be doing this column anymore; I have really enjoyed the the stories as much as the recipes. Looking forward to whatever Francis will take on next.

There's a lot of hate for the ketchup in these reviews - suit yourself! It may be more "fresh" or "authentic" (whatever that means) without the ketchup, but it also won't taste as much like the one my Hong Kong-born mother made for me to eat while growing up in New Mexico. Francis Lam, from 1st gen Cantonese ABC to another, thank you for helping me recreate one of my favorite childhood dishes.

There must be a version of this in almost every culture. I ate a version of this at least three times a week when i lived in the former Yugoslavia. It was called sataras (pronounced "sah-ta-rahsh") and it was usually served over boiled potatoes.

This reminds me of a dish that our cook made for us when I lived in Bogota, Colombia years ago. It was scrambled eggs cooked in vegetable oil instead of butter. You sauteed diced onions in the oil, generously salted, and when softened, added the tomatoes to saute for a bit and salted again. Finally the beaten eggs were stirred in until it all came together in a creamy dish of scrambled eggs. I will definitely make your Asian version.

I was used to the Taiwanese style, because I taught English to mostly Taiwanese immigrants in New York City and we cooked together in my home. That style doesn't have the ketchup and cornstarch sauce. I have to say I like it both ways. The French make something similar which is called les œufs brouillées à la tomate. Cook the tomatoes slowly in butter and olive oil with shallots and/or garlic. Then scramble the eggs in the tomato red sauce ever so gently, top with fresh herbs and voila!