![Eggs Kejriwal](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/01/22/multimedia/22EggsKejriwal-rex-jpwt/22EggsKejriwal-rex-jpwt-mediumThreeByTwo440.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
Eggs Kejriwal
Tejal Rao
2735 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,735
10 minutes
Advertisement
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs well with 1 teaspoon salt, sesame oil and rice wine or sherry. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until well combined, then stir in the sugar and ketchup.
If using fresh tomatoes, core and cut them into ½-inch wide wedges.
Heat a wide nonstick skillet over high heat with 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. When the oil shimmers, add most of the scallions, saving some to garnish. Cook, stirring, until very aromatic, about 20 seconds. Add the eggs, and cook, stirring well with a spatula or chopsticks, until just set but still runny, about 45 seconds. Pour the eggs back into the mixing bowl, and wipe out the pan.
Reheat the pan over high heat with the remaining tablespoon of oil. When it is hot, add the ginger and cook until aromatic, about 15 seconds. Add the tomatoes and salt to taste; cook, stirring occasionally, until the flesh has softened but still has some shape and the juices have begun to form a sauce, 2 to 3 minutes. (If using canned tomatoes, add the juice as well and cook about 4 minutes, to reduce it to a saucelike consistency.)
Reduce the heat to medium. Give the cornstarch-ketchup mixture a stir in its bowl, then stir it into the pan. Cook, stirring, until the sauce returns to a boil and thickens. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, sugar or more ketchup — you want a savory, tart-sweet sauce. Stir the eggs in the bowl to cut up the curds a bit, then return them to the pan. Cook, stirring, for a few seconds to finish cooking the eggs and to combine. Top with the reserved scallions, and serve with steamed rice.
I am the son of Italian immigrants. My mother made eggs like this. In a cast iron skillet, slowly cook some fresh tomatoes until most liquid is gone. Carefully break eggs into sauce without breaking the yolk. With a fork stir the egg white into the sauce so that it solidifies and combines. Leave the yolk whole. If worried about the yolk being fully cooked, cover for a couple of minutes. Then serve.
This was in the 1930s and 40s.
I had never heard of this before, and I made it exactly as written (using the canned tomato option). (Correction: I did reduce the frying oil by half.)
Wow! I have a new easy weeknight favorite. Delicious with a thick piece of dense, grainy toast.
Here's a tip: keep fingers of ginger frozen in a Ziploc bag. As you need ginger, simply peel a bit of a fingertip and use a microplane to grate the frozen ginger. (Frozen ginger grates MUCH more easily.) Then put the bag back in the fridge.
This (a version of it minus the rice wine) is a very familiar breakfast food all over South Asia. The Parsee version is called akoori scrambles. In the south there's a delightful version using curry leaves and chili peppers along with cilantro and tomatoes. Try adding curry powder, its aromatic and amazing, the complex flavors tingle in the mouth and you are fully awake!
I loved all the personal stories and the versions of this recipe that cross cultures. Thanks to the NYT readers for sharing. It makes me proud to be part of this community.
Thank you for this recipe/ Yes, in North India, we too have a version but it's more like an omelet that has tomatoes, cilantro, minced onion, and chopped green chillies. (no rice wine). And served over an "aaloo paratha" (stuffed wheat flat-bread). Ketchup is not traditional (too sweet) but the kids seem to like it sprinkled on top. It is a breakfast food and goes wonderfully with masala chai.
In Greece its called Kayiana, and its made by scrambling eggs, fresh chopped tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, salt/pepper and if you like, cheese. It is delicious!
If you want to go even simpler... try mom's version of tomato eggs, Shanghai style. It only calls for tomatoes (thinly sliced) + a sprinkle of sugar and squeeze of fresh lemon when sautéed, beaten eggs + shao xing cooking wine + pinch of salt. that's it!! No need for anything else, really. It's fresh and light.
A similar recipe from my mother's Italy. break parmesan cheese into small pieces ( a fork works well). put a small amount of olive oil in a pan. Brown the cheese bits in a fast and hot pan... do not melt the cheese bits. Stir in 4-6 well beaten eggs, stir as they are cooking. Just before they firm up add a few tablespoons of tomato sauce and stir to finish.
Great hot, great cold, makes a wonderful addition to a summer spread of cheese and veggies.
Tomato scrambled eggs and rice sustained me through college! The ratio of economical to tasty is simply unbeatable. My family is Taiwanese though, and my mom's version uses only eggs, tomatoes, garlic, salt, sugar, and olive oil
I'd never had or even heard of this dish until I found this recipe but decided to give it a shot - delicious! Simple to make but super flavorful. I took the advice of some of the commenters and omitted the ketchup, though did mix a bit of sriracha into the corn starch slurry for added sweetness and spice. I also seasoned the tomatoes with a bit of soy sauce instead of salt for extra umami. This will DEFINITELY become a staple in my household!
I am SO sorry that Francis Lam won't be doing this column anymore; I have really enjoyed the the stories as much as the recipes. Looking forward to whatever Francis will take on next.
There's a lot of hate for the ketchup in these reviews - suit yourself! It may be more "fresh" or "authentic" (whatever that means) without the ketchup, but it also won't taste as much like the one my Hong Kong-born mother made for me to eat while growing up in New Mexico. Francis Lam, from 1st gen Cantonese ABC to another, thank you for helping me recreate one of my favorite childhood dishes.
There must be a version of this in almost every culture. I ate a version of this at least three times a week when i lived in the former Yugoslavia. It was called sataras (pronounced "sah-ta-rahsh") and it was usually served over boiled potatoes.
This reminds me of a dish that our cook made for us when I lived in Bogota, Colombia years ago. It was scrambled eggs cooked in vegetable oil instead of butter. You sauteed diced onions in the oil, generously salted, and when softened, added the tomatoes to saute for a bit and salted again. Finally the beaten eggs were stirred in until it all came together in a creamy dish of scrambled eggs. I will definitely make your Asian version.
I was used to the Taiwanese style, because I taught English to mostly Taiwanese immigrants in New York City and we cooked together in my home. That style doesn't have the ketchup and cornstarch sauce. I have to say I like it both ways. The French make something similar which is called les œufs brouillées à la tomate. Cook the tomatoes slowly in butter and olive oil with shallots and/or garlic. Then scramble the eggs in the tomato red sauce ever so gently, top with fresh herbs and voila!
This version was too sweet and soupy for my tastes. A good dose of green sriracha really improved it.
I love this recipe--mostly don't bother with the ginger and I use mirin wine. Great way to enjoy the summer tomato harvest.
Made this as a single portion for lunch. The flavors are really nice and it’s a welcome change form my standard scrambled eggs. I omitted the sugar because the ketchup already has some. I used fresh-picked tomatoes and tossed in a few fresh Holy Basil leaves I had - well, because I had just headed the Holy Basil in my garden. I will make this again.
I love this dish so much. The only thing I do differently is when adding the tomatoes to the pan I also add some msg. One of my favourite weekday/quick dinners.
This is a repeat in our household. Use can of San marzano tomatoes - you wouldn’t even need sugar! I also up the number of eggs to eight and increase the amount of ingredients accordingly. But this dish doesn’t need accurate measuring - it’s to your taste kinda dish as noted in the recipe.
Added a tablespoon of oyster sauce to the starch slurry. Delicious!
Grew up loving ketchup on my eggs. This brought a smile to my yummy
I have made this recipe almost weekly for years. Thank you so much!
My aunt in Vietnam makes this. Neutral oil, fry the tomatoes with garlic, then add the eggs and swirl in fish sauce. Top with a little black pepper. Eat with rice (and ideally greens in soup). Very easy and a pantry meal when using canned tomatoes!
I’m shocked at the reviews for this. This was by far the worst thing I’ve ever made from the NYT. I made it exactly as written. It was incredibly bland. Except for the small amount of ketchup which is very noticeable. It tasted like diner eggs that someone put ketchup on. Im no stranger to legit Chinese dishes. We eat in Flushing all the time and are very open to different kinds of flavors. But this tasted like scrambled eggs and ketchup. Usually the NYT doesn’t steer us wrong. Oh well.
The simpler the food, the more quality of ingredients matters. I found this delicious, but I had on hand free-range eggs (orange yolks), a good-quality toasted sesame oil, dark (japanese) soy sauce, really excellent tomatoes, etc. I can imagine what this would taste like if you used those eggs you can get $2/dozen with pale yolks, and those plastic tomatoes you often find in the winter.
ketchup seemed to overwhelm the tomatoes and eggs for me. Will cut back on that part next time.
My (Chinese) mother liked to add soy beans/edamame to her tomato and eggs, to add a pop of color. Historically, tomatoes are not native to China. This dish is likely an adaptation of shakshuka: https://silkroadgourmet.com/tomato-eggs/
Just made this, and holy cow this is good
This is one of our favorite one-pan Sunday breakfasts or quick weeknight dinners. I add a little white pepper to the eggs and cook them until almost set, leaving them in large curds. I use any tomatoes I have, add a bit of chopped garlic and some Sriracha to the ketchup mix, cook them until thickened then gently fold in the eggs, letting the curds break into smaller pieces. Served over rice and garnished with green onion, heaven on a plate. Very easy to size up or down.
Living in the Midwest, mid-September is about when I start to run out of ideas to use up all my garden tomatoes. That’s where this recipe comes in. WHOA it’s a keeper! I made a couple tiny substitutions due to not having green onions on hand (used a finely minced white onion) and threw fresh chives and chili crisp onto the finished product. Absolutely delicious!
Advertisement