Let’s be honest- no one has time to cook too much in college, or even to think about cooking. During graduate school has been especially hard because I usually had night classes, and when those end at 7pm or 8pm, you want to eat right away.
But for those of you who don’t have late classes (lucky), you might have slightly more time to get things together. This dinner (or lunch, or snack, or whatever) takes about twenty minutes, 4 main ingredients, and all comes together nicely in one bowl.
And that dinner is Chinese tomato and egg stir fry with rice.
It doesn’t sound like much but trust me, you’ll love it!
Chinese tomato and egg stir fry, or 番茄炒蛋 (fanqie chaodan) is a cheap and easy meal that Chinese and American college students alike love to make. The sweetness and saltiness balances out really nicely, and it will certainly keep you full with all the godo nutrients!
There are certain measurements, but to be honest, I usually just wing it. It can all be tailored to your specific tastes.
You’ll need 4 medium tomatoes (10 or so small cherry tomatoes), 4 eggs, salt, pepper, sugar, sesame oil, and of course, rice!
- Make the rice in a rice cooker or on the stove. This is actually the longest part, believe it or not.
- Cut the tomatoes up. If they’re tiny cherry tomatoes, cut them in halves or quarters. For bigger tomatoes, just cut into wedges.
- Crack the 4 eggs into a bowl with salt, pepper, and a teaspoon or so of sesame oil. A little goes a long way! Beat for about a minute.
- Preheat a pan to medium, add a bit of oil, and then add the eggs. Scramble, and then remove them from the pan into another bowl.
- Add a bit more oil if necessary, turn the heat up to medium high/high, then put the tomatoes in.
- Stir fry the tomatoes for a minute, then add salt, 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar (however sweet you like it), and 1/4 of a cup of water. You might need to add more or less depending on how you want the sauce.
- Add in the eggs. Cover the pan for a couple minutes, when the tomatoes get really soft, then uncover.
- Cook everything for as long or as little as you want, depending on how thick you want the sauce to be. I usually do 2 or 3 minutes uncovered on medium heat.
- Pour over the rice and you’re done!
- Enjoy!