About That Egg & Tomato Dish...

Anyone who's spent time in China has undoubtedly downed a fair bit of fanqie jidan (tomatoes with eggs). I've probably eaten thirty or more versions over the years (including one on Hainan in 1985 - the best fanqie jidan I've ever eaten, made with eggs from the chickens that scratched around in restaurant's front yard), and the dish never fails to amaze me with its basic goodness.

In China - or at least in the provinces in which I've eaten fanqie jidan - the dish is a stir-fry, beaten eggs gently folded into tomatoes softened by the wok's heat. In Taiwan - or at least at Patriot's House Little Eats in Hsinchu - it's more of a luscious, comforting soup-stew that also includes bean curd. It's a wee bit sweet, with a 'broth' so tomato-y it's almost a tomato jus.

I was so taken with Patriot House's fanqie jidan that I asked the owner, Mr. Zheng, to share his technique. He laughed.

"Tomatoes, eggs, tofu, sugar, salt. I put them in a pot and cook."

I found this difficult to digest. To produce a dish so delicious from such pedestrian ingredients surely Mr. Zheng must employ some special technique, some culinary voodoo, I thought. So I queried again the next day. He shook his head at me.

"I told you yesterday. Tomatoes, eggs, tofu, sugar, salt."

What could I say? I took Mr. Zheng at his word and, after we returned to KL, made his fanqie jidan for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, again and again. I was, I admit, a little obsessed. Now, I think I've gotten as close to Mr. Zheng's version (which is still superior) as I'm ever going to. My version's good, but I still think he's is holding out on me.

Mr. Zheng's Fanqie Jidan gen Dofu (Tomatoes and Eggs, With Bean Curd)

This recipe is a little loosey goosey. Amounts will vary depending on the juiciness of your tomatoes and the size of your eggs. Just keep in mind that the final result should be soupy, and the 'broth' bursting with tomato flavor. (Don't even bother with this recipe if you're not in the vicinity of really delicious fresh, height-of-the-season tomatoes.) And it should be a little sweet, so don't leave out the sugar - and add more if your tomatoes are particularly acidic. If you have access to fresh eggs and fresh, artisan bean curd, so much the better.

This dish makes for a nice light (summery) meal, accompanied by steamed rice and liangban huanggua, Chinese cucumber salad (recipe below). I could also see throwing in some cooked rice noodles and calling it a meal in a bowl.

about 2.5 pounds ripe, delicious tomatoes, roughly chopped (if you're in Malaysia, splurge on momotaro tomatoes)

5 eggs, beaten

2 blocks medium firm bean curd, drained and wrapped in a kitchen towel, then weighted for 30 mins - to squeeze out excess water - and cut into cubes

sugar

salt

a few scallions, sliced crosswise

1. Place about 2 pounds of the tomatoes in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until they release their juices and start to break down, about 5-10 minutes depending on the type of tomato. 
2. Turn the heat down to low and slowly pour the eggs in so that they form a cap on top of the tomato 'soup'. Let the eggs cook, without stirring, until firm, and then gently stir them into the tomatoes. You want to leave the eggs in large curds, so don't stir too much.
3. Gently stir in the tofu and remaining tomatoes, along with 1/2 to 1 tsp sugar and salt to taste. 
4. Taste and add more sugar if needed - the 'stew' should have a sweet edge.
5. Remove from the heat, cover the pan, and let the tomatoes and eggs sit for 10 minutes or so, then serve warm (but not steaming hot), sprinkled with scallions.

Liangban Huanggua (Chinese cucumber salad)

Another Chinese standard, cooked and eaten everywhere. It's done a bunch of ways, with chili oil and/or vinegar (white or black), sometimes soy sauce. I prefer it the way I was introduced to it in Sichuan, back in the mid-80s: plain and simple, the cucumbers front and center (I actually didn't know, until I lived in Sichuan, that cucumbers have a flavor!).. Excellent cucumbers (not big, tasteless, watery ones - maybe English or Armenian, or little pickling cucumbers) and good sesame oil make this dish sing. Adjust amounts to suit.

a couple cucumbers

good salt

chopped raw garlic (optional)

sesame oil

chopped cilantro leaves (optional)

1. Do not peel the cucumbers, but wash them well to remove any dirt or wax from their skins. Chop them into rough, uneven, largish-bite-size chunks.
2. Place the cucumber in a colander and sprinkle with salt, then rub the salt into the chunks. Leave aside for about 30 mins.
3.  Squeeze the water from the cucumber chunks and place them in a bowl. Add garlic, if using, and drizzle with a decent amount of sesame oil. Use your hands to mix the salad, lightly rubbing the sesame oil over the cucumber chunks.
4. Serve sprinkled with chopped cilantro, if using. Serve room temperature or straight out of the fridge (you can make this a couple hours ahead of time).

Comments

[Mila]

Thank you for this take on xihong shi chao dan, I have been trying to make a good one for the past couple of months and tried a couple of basic recipes online. The soupiness of this version is quite unique!
And I love cucumber salad! I've added some strips of jicama to my cucumber salads for extra crunch.

[Gastronomer]

Yay! Recipes! I really loved the Chinese Sausage Salad, and I'm positive I will love this one too.

Just to clarify - is bean curd tofu?

[J2Kfm]

the one my grandma does, is simply fry them omelette style. i could finish my plate of rice, with that alone. :)

[Robyn]

Mila you're welcome, I hope this works for you. This was the only xihong shi chao jidan (is that 'western red-style'? just guessing from the pinyin) we ate on Taiwan, so I've no idea if others are soupy. But it certainly was different enough from the mainland versions (tastier too) to get my attention.

Cathy - yes, there are still some pple in the W world who know it as tofu/dofu as 'bean curd'! You should be able to get some really good artisan stuff in S Cal.

J2Kfm - I appreciate this one for its lack of oil. But a good omelette is hard to beat as well!

[vixar]

Wowo precise recipe, thanks for sharing! haha i love chinese sausage (lap cheong) fry with omelet.

[The Curious Cat]

Sounds interesting! My old uni housemate who spent a year in China was constantly trying to make us eat tinned tomatoes with eggs mixed in...it looked/tasted awful (vom-like texture springs to mind) and I was never convinced...you have helped me to realise it wasn't just an awful weird idea that she strangely took to, but that she is just rubbish at replicating it...!

[Pete]

A Shanghainese university mate used to cook this tomato-egg soup during our college days. She used quite a bit of MSG for seasoning - said it's indispensable for the taste!

[Rasa Malaysia]

Interesting that it's almost--or practically- a soup! I had an egg drop soup (not the starchy gooey kind in the US) in Shanghai recently, with clams. Such a great idea, talking about which, I have to try to recreate it on RM.

[Ming]

Xihongshi is tomato in Beijing- and I am guessing that is what Mila means. We have tomatoes and egg here a lot, usually as a topping for noodles. It really works! My ayi (who is from Sichuan) also makes it for us for dinner (to be eaten with rice). Both versions are not soupy though.

[Chris]

When we did the Silk Rd a few years ago we had this tomato-egg dish almost every day! Sorry, I never did learn to appreciate it. There is a Jap movie out there(with excellent subtitles) that features this dish. It is one of the best foodie movies around...I haven't been able to get it here via Amazon, perhaps it is available in the far east. Title of the movie is "Flavour of Happiness".

[Jennifer]

Just catching up here now that my last exam is over. I'm so going to try to make this for dinner soon!!

[Bordeaux]

I used to have this dish often at lunchtime at my kindergarten and loved it. It's an example of one of those dishes that to several 'Western' minds just does not sound or look right, but once you get over your ideas of what you think should be food/ a meal and dig in you realize how absolutely brilliant it is. I've discovered this with a lot of food in Taiwan, it might sound strange, but once you've taken that first bite you just want more.

[Katy]

Xi Hongshi 西 红柿 - Western red Kaki (or Chinese persimmon. Though I think Kaki is from the Chinese) is the old (or Northern China) name for Fanqie 番茄- Foreign Eggplant.
I don't think the soupy version is particular Taiwanese - they should have that in China too, just preference. I don't remember eating it with that amount of broth myself but it was pretty much a home dish in my days, so I didn't take much notice what they did outside. Hsinchu is a major Hakka town, so I don't know if there is a connection about the style.
That amount of broth seems too curious to have been from those 5 ingredients - similar to the juice in the Taiwanese Dan Huang Rou, couldn't have been simply from steamed meat and soy sauce. I would have bet he had added at least a 6th ingredient- commonly chicken stock (or a stock). It’s not uncommon the addition. Though in Taiwan, a restaurant would be under scrutiny if they claim it a vegetarian dish and probably would have gotten away in China. Also, brown sugar is commonly used here - that might have made some difference in taste.
Maybe next time, ask in a way so you would be taken a little more seriously - ask why there is more soup than what you had had elsewhere – you might be spared of a‘shake head’, or you might get a ‘water la’!
(Incidentally, your post on 2007.03.15 the Shanghai Daily Sort of kept me amused for a good while! You must be seeing the comments about China & Taiwan differently now that you’ve been to Taiwan.)

[Robyn]

Hi Katy -- I don't think he was brushing me off. We ate there 3 times and he was a very nice guy, happy to chat. And was quite specific -- eggs, bean curd, tomatoes, sugar, salt. I was surprised and asked him to confirm that and he did. I've made it at home many times with no broth and ended up with a version just as soupy ... all depends on the tomatoes you use.

[Katy]

OK, I just couldn't help giggle when I pictured he shook his head! Actually now that I read your step 1 - to 'stew' the tomato first, that would have made the soupiness difference. I don't remember Mom or other Mom ever cooked it that long to wait for the juice. It is called (in Taiwan anyway) fanqie chao dan - chao to stir fry, and I think people commonly prepare it more like omelet- the drier version. The chicken stock if added on, either powder or with liquid, normally is dumped in the egg - like some people put milk in the western omelet. More Xiang 比较'香', we say it. Interesting! might try it with big Spanish tomato here, I don't like the skin in the dish btw, might remove it.
It is such a humble simple dish, never thought about it when at home, but it is healthy and 'quick' and the soupy version might be more child friendly too without the scallion.