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.

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