For this dish from Hetty McKinnon's To Asia, With Love, she reworked Chinese egg and tomato into shakshuka form for an umami rich twist on the classic Chinese dish.
Ingredients
Ice cubes
4 beefsteak tomatoes (about 22 ounces/615 g)
Extra-virgin olive oil
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 onion, sliced into thin wedges
1/4 cup (30 g) brown sugar
4 large eggs
Handful of cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
2 scallions, finely sliced
Sea salt
White pepper
Everything Oil, to serve
Bread, to serve (optional)
2 tablespoons red chile flakes
2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns
2 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red chile flakes)
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 cup vegetable oil or other neutral oil
2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
Set up a large bowl with ice and cold water—this is your ice bath for peeling the tomatoes. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Score a small “x” at the bottom of each tomato and add them to the boiling water until the skins wrinkle and split—this should take 1–1 1/2 minutes. Remove from the water and drop them straight into your ice bath. Once the tomatoes are cool, lift them out of the water and peel away their skin. Chop the tomato flesh.
In a frying pan over medium–high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil, along with the ginger and onion; stir well and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato, then reduce the heat to medium–low and cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar and a splash of water, and squash the tomato a little to break it up. Cover and cook for another 2 minutes.
Make four little indents in the tomato mixture and gently crack one egg into each hole. Season with sea salt and white pepper. Replace the lid and cook over low heat for 5–6 minutes, until the whites are just set. Scatter with the cilantro and scallions and serve with everything oil and bread, if using.
In a heatproof bowl, add the chile flakes, Sichuan peppercorns, gochugaru and sea salt.
Place the oil, ginger, garlic, star anise and cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium–high heat for 3–4 minutes—the oil is ready when it looks thin, like water. Remove from the heat and very carefully pour the hot oil into the bowl with the spices—the oil will sizzle and spit, so stand back. Allow to cool.
Stir before serving. I don’t strain it as the chile and spices continue to flavor the oil over time. Everything oil can be drizzled over noodles, dumplings, soups and salads. Store in a sterilized jar (no need to refrigerate) for up to 3 months.
