Ingredients
- Eggs 6 large
- Fish Sauce 2 tsp
- Unsalted Butter 2 Tbs, cut into small cubes
- Cornstarch 2 tsp
- Water ¼ cup
- Peanut, Rice Bran or other Neutral Oil 2 Tbs
- Scallions 4, chopped, dark green parts reserved separately
- Ripe Roma or large Cherry Tomatoes 8-12 oz, cut into bite-size chunks
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground White Pepper
- Ketchup 1 Tbs
- Sugar 1 tsp
Cook It
- For the eggs: In a large bowl, beat the eggs very thoroughly with a whisk, a fork, or a pair of chopsticks. This process should take at least 1 minute, and when you are done, the egg should be completely smooth. Test this by lifting your utensil up out of the eggs, letting them drizzle back down. There should be no visible strands or lumps. If there are, keep beating.
- For the cornstarch slurry: Combine the cornstarch and water in a separate small bowl and stir with a fork until the cornstarch is dissolved.
- Add half the cornstarch slurry (set aside the other half for now), the fish sauce, and the butter to the eggs and beat to incorporate (the butter will stay solid at this stage).
- For the stir-fry: Heat the oil in a wok over high heat until shimmering. Add the scallion whites and pale greens and cook, stirring, until aromatic, about 15 seconds. Add the tomatoes, a pinch of salt, a pinch of white pepper, the ketchup and the sugar and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes break down and release their juices but still have some of their shape, about 2 minutes. Stir the remaining cornstarch slurry and add it to the wok
- As soon as the sauce has thickened, add the beaten egg mixture and cook, folding and occasionally stirring gently, until the eggs are barely set and the sauce I silky, rich and no longer watery, about 1 minute. Fold in the scallion greens, season to taste with salt and white pepper, transfer to a serving bowl, and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Recipe excerpted from The Wok: Recipes and Techniques. Copyright © 2022 J. Kenji López-Alt. Published by W.W. Norton & Company.
