So yesterday while Joey Chestnut downed 54 hot dogs in ten minutes at Nathan’s annual competition (and his arch rival Kobayashi got arrested in his efforts to compete) and while less prodigious eaters grilled up burgers and franks and steaks all to celebrate our great nation’s birth, I ate a staple of the Chinese soldier’s diet – egg and tomato.
I am not an anti-patriot — a barbecue just wasn’t happening for me this year — and as Elena Kagan joked during her confirmation hearings, when outside of the American mainstream holiday celebrations, Chinese food becomes the next best thing.
So I whipped up some Chinese tomato and eggs — a simple, but gloriously flavorful and satisfying dish that I fell in love with while traveling through China a few years ago — and listened to the sounds of fireworks in the distance. And after all, doesn’t being American mean the freedom to take off from hot dogs sometimes and to embrace ones’ inner Chinese soldier.? God bless the USA. Here’s the recipe.
Katie’s Fourth of July Chinese Eggs and Tomatoes
Ingredients
-two eggs
-seseame oil
-salt and pepper to taste
-olive oil or butter
-soy sauce
-three green onions (diced)
-one clove garlic (diced)
-one tomato (cut into small wedges)
-soy sauce
-fish sauce
Directions
-Beat eggs with a dash of sesame oil and salt and pepper.
-Heat olive oil or butter in pan. Add eggs, scramble as you would normally, adding a dash of soy sauce, and leaving the eggs pretty loose. When they reach a cooked but still runny consistency, turn eggs onto plate to keep from overcooking (you’ll cook them more soon.)
-In same pan, add more oil or butter. When heated, add green onion and garlic. After about a minute, add tomatoes, soy sauce, and about a half teaspoon of fish sauce (more if you’re like me and love the stuff.) Stir fry until the tomatoes have grown soft and let go some of their juices.
-Add eggs back into the pan and stir fry until combined. (At this point you can also add a few tablespoons of Chinese brown sauce if you like.)
Serve over rice. Delicious.
(Serves one. Easily doubled, etc.)
I’m a pinko from way back and I’ll have you know we do NOT lay eggs. At least, my alien leaders tell me we don’t.
Comment by raincoaster — July 6, 2010 @ 4:13 am