Stir-fried Tomato and Egg 番茄炒蛋

The name is a list of what goes in: 番茄 (fān qié) tomato – literally “foreign eggplant” – 炒 (chǎo) stir-fried, 蛋 (dàn) egg. Beaten eggs go into hot oil first and set in big, soft curds; they come out of the wok while the tomato wedges cook down into a juicy sauce, then go back in. Salt, often a pinch of sugar, sometimes scallion – that is all. It takes ten minutes and costs little, which is why it is the first dish many Chinese people learn to cook.

It is home cooking (家常菜, jiā cháng cài) at its plainest: nearly every family in China makes it, each a little differently – sweeter or saltier, the egg firm or barely set, dry or with plenty of sauce to spoon over rice. Small restaurants have it on every menu, canteens keep it in a tray, and fast-food places serve it over rice as 番茄炒蛋盖饭 (fān qié chǎo dàn gài fàn). In the north the menu often says 西红柿炒鸡蛋 (xī hóng shì chǎo jī dàn) – 西红柿, “western red persimmon”, is the northern word for tomato. The 炒 matters: 番茄蛋汤, with 汤 (tāng) at the end, is the soup.

It costs about ¥18–30 (US$3–4) in an ordinary restaurant in a big city (2026).

What does it taste like?

Savory, with a gentle sweet-and-sour tang from the tomatoes. The egg is soft and fluffy, and the tomatoes cook down into a light, juicy sauce that runs into your rice – that sauce is half the point. How sweet it is depends on the cook: many add a pinch of sugar, some a spoonful, some none. Mild and warm, and for many Chinese people the taste of home.

Tastes like… A scrambled shakshuka: tomatoes and egg cooked together until saucy, but stirred into soft curds instead of poached, quicker, and often a little sweeter. You rarely find it in American Chinese takeout – it is what Chinese families cook at home.

Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free

Vegetarian in the usual recipe, with egg or dairy. Kitchens may still fry in lard (猪油), add oyster sauce (蚝油) or chicken powder (鸡精) – ask for none of them; the order card above has the lines.

Not vegan: the egg is half the dish. On the same menu, 番茄炒花菜 (fān qié chǎo huā cài, tomato and cauliflower) is usually vegan.

If you are vegetarian, say that egg is fine. In China 吃素 (chī sù, eating vegetarian) often means the Buddhist way – no egg, and sometimes no garlic or scallion either. The vegetarian line on the dish card says both: 我吃素，可以吃鸡蛋 (wǒ chī sù, kěyǐ chī jīdàn) – I’m vegetarian, egg is fine.

There is no wheat or soy in the usual recipe, so it is one of the easier dishes if you avoid gluten. Some kitchens add a little oyster sauce, which is usually made with wheat as well as oysters – ask for 不放蚝油 (bú fàng háoyóu, no oyster sauce); the order card has the line.