The Humble Appeal of Chinese Stir-Fried Tomatoes and Eggs (Xīhóngshì Chǎo Jīdàn)
This simple yet surprisingly complex dish deserves its reputation as one of China’s most beloved comfort foods.
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This is a terrible!!! Xīhóngshì Chǎo Jīdàn 101: USE FRESH TOMATO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Becky looks soo much nicer with curly soft hair
lol this is a Chinese home dish that needs no recipe or testing by experts. Everyone makes it a different way and it’s all valid and fine. Most people don’t put this many ingredients in. I soft scramble eggs, dump them into the serving platter. Cook the chopped fresh tomatoes cuz it doesn’t matter the quality. Season with soy sauce and white pepper. Or Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Or soy sauce and ketchup. Or fish sauce. Or make it Japanese with sake and soy and sugar. Anything similar to those flavor profiles. Dump the eggs back in and throw in finely chopped scallions, both white and green. They’re not just “garnish” they’re an important part. That’s it. I usually don’t put garlic or ginger cuz they’re a pain to peel and chop. Some people throw onion in, or shrimp, or meat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gF44PXZXNc&t=434s
Could you freeze fresh tomatoes to use in this recipe?
Uh…Chinese person here who cooks this dish once a week. I am a fan of ATK, but this is definitely not how this dish goes, and the end result is a lot more watery and goopy than it's supposed to be. For those who want authenticity, here's a video with 6 different ways of doing this dish. https://youtu.be/3gF44PXZXNc?si=3E1PFpXUirledv0t
Great recipe. I’m going to try it this week. But why use the strainer if you’re going to add all the juice anyway?
Looks wonderful! What is the WINE? I could not understand it.
Why separate the juice from the tomatoes when your gonna just put back in together again?
Way easier than shakshuka.
Oh my, canned tomatoes.
As an American who has lived in China and Taiwan, I appreciate your bringing this beloved dish to your audience. It is brilliant when paired with white rice, as you did. That said, I really advise looking at Chinese channels (some of which are in English) to see how they do it. There are a number of small details that are off in this execution, and the final dish doesn't look quite right – though I'm sure it's still very tasty!
Draining the tomatoes was such a great idea!
Reminds me of people putting ketchup on their scrambled eggs, using the combination of tomatoes & sugar here.
First time I've ever seen it made with wine and tomato at the same time (grew up with either or). One thing I would say is some friends I know make them with brown cane sugar.
Instead of sugar my mom adds ketchup: sweet and tomatoey! And of course soy sauce and white pepper.
This looks really good, never heard of this before!
Yep. Soon. 🙂
My goodness forget beef broccoli…. This one here is the true Chinese mum’s food.. I can honestly hear my mum screaming FOOD IS READY!!!!!!! NOW!!!!
This was the first dish I taught my daughter to cook two years ago when she was 7.
It was a summer staple dish in all households in China 40 years ago.
Are those people in the background doing surgery back there?
What's with the masks?
Puhleeze I have been eating the Greek, Moroccan, Indian, and my own version of this my entire life. They slap some hard to say Chinese name on tomato and eggs and make it seem like it’s something different. Everyone around the world has their own version of it. nothing new to see here.
Like a transport caff breakfast, relies heavily on eggs and tinned tomatoes.
Sounds delicious!
I’m surprised they used the name Xihongshi to refer to tomato. Yes it is correct, but I think it’s most common to say fanqie
I have had MANY Chinese dishes and yet that is not a dish I have ever had. But that is not the reason why I find that there is…something not right about this. There is something wrong about this. Not sure what…Maybe it's the "can tomatoes", maybe the sequence of adding the aromatics, maybe the lack of protein, but…something is not right…?
I will try it. And make up my mind of whether to trust myself or….We'll see…
Thanks but fresh tomato please. The visual with bright red tomato is just as important as the way it tastes
Uncle Roger inbound!
Strain the tomato, add strain tomato juice… can someone explain this to me?
I love the idea of a food tour of eggs and tomatoes around the world (menemen, chilaquiles, etc). I also quite like remixing the spices and prep style with a different cuisine's format, e.g. I imagine this would make a great breakfast burrito filling
I am sorry it's not a national dish. It's a dish I cook when I am lazy and don't really want to cook LOL!
Hi test kitchen when are you going to test out Cake pans
Oh Lydia Bastianich would laugh at chopping up canned tomatoes – she squishes them with her bare hands. So satisfying! 🤣🤣
lived on this during college days. I ate so much of this I refused to cook this anymore. lol
REVIEW
I just made this for my family. Here are their thoughts.
Mediocre at best. Why?
Too sweet.
Under-salted.
Bland.
Too confusing. It’s as though it’s trying to be Chinese? Italian? Then eggs?
I’ve made this once before in the summer when our garden was overflowing with gorgeous tomatoes. Our chickens were laying heavily.
THAT was excellent. Great dish.
I would recommend WAITING to make this when you have access to beautiful, fresh tomatoes from your own garden or a local farmers’ market. THEN perhaps try this recipe.
My mouth is watering! 😋
Why drain the tomatoes if you are just going to put the liquid back in?
Did I miss why we strained the tomatoes if we're just adding all the juices in anyway?
too much work. and green onion goes in too early…they look all wilted. First make scramble egg (80% cooked) , then add tomato and some water and continue to cover and cook, then add 'catchup' so the sauce is thicker, then also add a little sugar and salt…(sugar to reduce the tomato sour)…. when it is almost done…then add green onion at the very end and just toss… add too early and it will wilt. there is no need to add the rest of the things… all are not needed. very simple, egg, tomato, catchup and greenonion. no need for garlic and all the rest of the fluff that does nothing. it is supposed to be a very simple dish. all in one wok and done in one sequence..no cook this and pour out and cook that…. cover your wok if you want the tomato to wilt faster.
my Chinese childhood comfort food 101. I now add a bit of corn starch slurry to the eggs, seems to make them creamier..and white pepper.
Nothing more reassuring than a Wellesley housewife cooking an Asian dish.
That looks delicious.
keep up hard work on your channels hope to see more
Looks delicious. And, fast.
Tomatoes and eggs are a combination made in heaven, popular all over the world!
i don't have a wok. Can a iron skillet be used as a substitute?
Ooh, that looks good.
fake news, where is the ketchup
Careful adding those tomatoes if your wok is not nonstick or is lightly seasoned