Restaurant-Style Tomato and Egg with Shaoxing Wine

Method

1. Bring plenty of water to the boil in a 18 cm pot over high heat. Cut a shallow cross in the base of each tomato, lower them into the water and blanch for 30 sec, until the skin at the cross starts to curl, then plunge them into cold water. Peel and cut into 2 cm chunks.

   Add in this stepRipe tomatoes 400 g

   high heat

2. Beat the eggs with the salt, Shaoxing wine and white pepper about 100 times with chopsticks, until no streaks of white remain. Chop the garlic and slice the spring onions, keeping the white and green parts separate. Mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp of the water to make a slurry.

   Add in this stepEggs 4Salt (for the eggs) 1 pinchShaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry) 1½ tspGround white pepper 1 pinch

3. Heat ⅔ of the oil in a 26 cm wok or pan over high heat until the surface shimmers. Pour in all the egg at once; when the edges puff up, push them from the outside towards the centre in big strokes for 45 sec. Move to a plate as soon as the curds are fluffy but the centre is still moist.

   Add in this stepCooking oil 2 tbsp

   high heat

4. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and fry the garlic and spring onion whites for 10 seconds until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and tomatoes and fry over medium-high heat for 3 min, pressing with the spatula until about half the tomato breaks down into a juicy sauce.

   Add in this stepCooking oil 1 tbspGarlic cloves 1Spring onions ½Tomato paste 1 tsp

   medium-high heat

5. Add the sugar, light soy sauce and remaining water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir the slurry again, pour it in a circle and keep stirring for 1 min 30 sec, until the sauce turns clear, glossy and lightly thickened.

   Add in this stepSugar 1½ tspLight soy sauce 1 tspWater 3 tbspCornflour (cornstarch) 1 tsp

   medium heat

6. Return the eggs and turn them over 2 or 3 times over medium heat for 30 sec to coat in sauce. Turn off the heat, drizzle with sesame oil, scatter with the spring onion greens and serve at once.

   Add in this stepToasted sesame oil ½ tspSpring onions ½

   medium heat