Stir-fried tomatoes

Any cook new to Chinese cuisine will be delighted with this versatile dish that's a favourite among many home cooks in China. James Cao of Renaissance Tours talks us through the finer points of stir-frying with your wok. He says you can change the recipe to suit your tastes – it can be sweet, salty or sour, depending on what you prefer.

• serves

  2

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (peanut, canola or sunflower oil can be substituted)
• 4 eggs
• pinch of salt
• 4 large tomatoes, cut into rough chunks
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Instructions

Add half the oil to a wok and place over a medium-high heat. When the oil is medium-hot, crack in the whole eggs and stir them to a scrambled consistency using chopsticks, breaking them up into chunks. When egg is cooked, set aside.

Add the rest of the oil to the same wok, followed by a pinch of salt and the tomatoes, and fry.

When the tomatoes begins to ooze juice, add the sugar and return the cooked egg to the pan and stir. Add the finely chopped garlic and stir-fry briefly until garlic is soft.

Serve immediately.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.