Egg & Tomato Stir-Fry
Soft-scrambled eggs folded back into collapsed tomatoes, over cold rice fried underneath to catch the juices.
Why it works
Cooking the eggs first and lifting them out while glossy keeps them tender; they finish in the pan's warmth rather than seizing alongside the tomatoes. Tomatoes cooked hard and fast throw out enough juice to season the rice, and cold rice, dried out overnight, drinks it instead of turning to paste.
Method
- Beat the eggs with the salt and white pepper until no streaks of white remain. Break the cold rice up with your fingers so the grains are separate.
- Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a wok over a high heat until it shimmers. Pour in the eggs, count to ten, then push them from the edges to the centre. Tip them onto a plate while still wet and glossy, about 45 seconds.
- Add the last tablespoon of oil, then the ginger and garlic. Stir 20 seconds, add the tomatoes and cook hard for 3 minutes, pressing with the spoon until the skins slip and a loose red sauce gathers.
- Tip in the rice and toss for 2 minutes, until every grain is coated and the wok sounds dry again. Stir through the honey and soy.
- Return the eggs, breaking them into large curds, add the spring onions and sesame oil, and fold twice. Serve straight from the wok.
For the toddler
Beat one of the eggs on its own without the salt and pepper, and cook it in a corner of the wok at step 2. Lift out a small plateful of the rice and tomato part-way through step 4, before the honey and soy go in. Honey is not for a baby under one, and a little grated apple sweetens theirs if you want it. Chop the egg and spring onion small.
How the toddler notes workChef’s notes
Tinned plum tomatoes carry this out of season; drain them well or the rice goes soggy.
Beat the eggs in the bowl you will serve from, and tip them onto the board in step 2.
A handful of frozen peas or shredded spinach goes in with the rice.
Good cold next day. Reheat in a hot dry pan, never the microwave, or the eggs weep.