When I was a kid, my dad had a Sunday morning ritual of whipping up omelets for the family.
He’d pour beaten eggs into a hot pan and add canned stewed tomatoes, sometimes with a splash of soy sauce or oyster sauce, to make omelet after omelet for everyone.
Except that is, for me.
At the time, I turned up my nose at that combination, preferring my omelet instead filled with cheese. And loads of it.
Little did I realize until much later in life that my idea of an inferior omelet was actually a far superior one.
Tomatoes boast tons of umami. So, do eggs. And any Chinese condiment such as oyster sauce is a major source of that irresistible deep savory fifth taste we all crave, as well.
“Tomato Egg with Spring Onion” exemplifies that.
This dead-simple recipe is from “Jerremy Pang’s Hong Kong Kitchen” (Octopus, 2025), of which I received a review copy.
The cookbook was written by British-Chinese chef Jeremy Pang, founder of London’s School of Wok culinary school, who has appeared regularly on BBC television and radio culinary shows.
It’s a collection of more than 70 recipes that highlight classic street food and home-style dishes, such as “Fried Stuffed Tofu,” “Garlic & Chili Tiger Prawns,” “Pak Choy & Kale Dumpling,” “Chinese Pork Chops,” and “Peanut Butter French Toast with Condensed Milk.”
Many versions of Asian-style tomatoes and eggs exist, each adding their own special touches to that dynamite duo. Pang’s is certainly a keeper.
If you stock your pantry with Chinese condiments such as mirin, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sesame oil, plus good old American ketchup, you can make this anytime. If tomatoes are out of season, you can even revert to canned ones.
This dish is quick and nourishing — perfect for times when there’s little other food in the house, you are dog-tired and famished, or stay out late partying and need something comforting before hitting the hay.
Add cut fresh tomatoes to a blazing hot wok with oil, and let them blister and soften slightly before removing to a plate. Beat eggs together with mirin, light soy sauce, salt, sesame oil, and a pinch of sugar. Add to the smoking wok again, swirling the mixture to create nice loose folds. Then, pour in a sauce of ketchup, soy sauce, and a little chicken stock, which will tinge the eggs mahogany. Add back in the tomatoes and some chopped scallions. Serve immediately over fresh steamed rice.
Pang says this serves 2 to 3. I think it’s only 2. Heck, only 1 if you really go for it. So, I amended the recipe below.
Pang gives specific instructions in the recipe on where to place your ingredients in a clock-like manner so they are easily reachable. You can follow that or come up with your own arrangement. Just be sure to have everything close by because you need to add ingredients quickly.
This dish is as homey and comforting as it gets. There’s the languorous softness of the eggs, the juicy-jammy sweet and tangy taste of the tomatoes, and the bombshell umami that imbues every bite. For those who want a hit of spice, it’s as simple as drizzling over a little chili crisp.
As I dig in, I close my eyes, and am transported right back to my childhood. Dads always do know best, don’t they?
Tomato Egg with Spring Onion
(Serves 2)
1 spring onion (scallion)
1 whole tomato
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the egg mix:
3 free-range eggs
1/2 tablespoon rice wine or mirin
1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure sesame oil
For the sauce:
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons chicken stock
Whisk the egg mix ingredients together in a bowl. Roughly chop the spring onion and cut the tomato into eighths. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl or ramekin.
Now build your wok clock: place the tomatoes at 12 o’clock, then the egg mix, followed by the spring onion and lastly the sauce.
Bring the vegetable oil to a smoking hot heat in a wok, then add the tomatoes and fold through the oil, so that the skin blisters slightly. Remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon and put back on top of the spring onions on the wok clock. Now, pour half the hot oil from the wok into a small ceramic or metal bowl, so that the finished egg does not come out too greasy.
Heat the wok up once more to a smoking hot temperature. Slowly pour the egg mix into the wok and swirl gently around, keeping the wok on a high heat. Start to fold the egg onto itself with a spatula or wok ladle, while continuing to swirl the wok around at the same time. Once the egg is just over halfway cooked and starting to become firmer on the edges but still wobbly, add the tomatoes back in, along with the spring onions. Pour the sauce into the wok, maintaining a high heat for 30 seconds. Toss the wok once or twice, to mix the ingredients and finish cooking the egg, then take off the heat and serve — a truly classic Hong Kong dish.
Tip: This dish works well at any meal as a cheap, quick relatively healthy fix. It also makes a good meal on the “day after the night before,” along with a side of noodles or some good thick toast or a crusty roll with butter. It makes for an excellent sharing dish with a bowl of steamed rice, and possibly one more simple stir-fry, on the side.
Adapted from “Jeremy Pang’s Hong Kong Kitchen”
Another Classic Chinese Tomato Dish: My Mom’s Tomato Beef Chow Mein