China boasts a unique set of cuisine that has become popular in its various forms across the globe. Each region of the country offers countless variations of flavor and style. Getting acquainted with all the taste that China has to offer can be a lengthy endeavour. But fear not! Ojisu is here to bring you up to speed.

       First off, Chinese dishes are usually meant to be eaten “family style”, or shared. It’s meant to be a sort of mix-and-match process, where several different dishes are made or ordered together and shared among a group. This way everyone gets their fair share of meat, veggies, and grain.

As with many foreign dishes, the Chinese foods we are used to here in the US are mostly harsh adaptations of the original dishes. When Chinese immigrants first came to the US they had no choice but to work with the ingredients at hand. This along with the intent of catering to American taste buds gave birth to today’s American Chinese dishes like the infamous General Tso's Chicken and Orange Chicken

Now, to introduce a famous Chinese dish that is less commonly seen in the US, 番茄鸡蛋 (pronounced “fahn ch-yeh jee dahn”, pictured above, on the right). This dish is a very well-known and commonly cooked dish in China. In terms of American food, it's essentially stir-fried scrambled eggs and tomato. However, contrary to when Americans would think eat this type of dish, it’s not commonly eaten for breakfast.

Here's a simple recipe so you can try it yourself!  

Ingredients:

• 2 tomatoes

• 2 eggs

• Pinch of salt

• 4 tbsp cooking oil

• 1 tsp caster sugar

• 1/2 tsp cornflour mixed with      2tsp water (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cut the tomatoes in half,      before cutting them again into sections resembling orange segments

2. Crack and beat the eggs, mixing      with salt

3. Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a wok,      then add the beaten eggs. Swirl around and and use a ladle to nudge the      edges into the centre, allowing the uncooked parts to run out. When the      whole thing has set and is golden, remove from the wok

4. Add 1tbsp of oil to the wok and      fry the tomatoes with the salt and sugar until cooked and fragrant. Return      the eggs to the wok and mix well, making sure to tear the egg mixture      apart as much as you can (the pieces of egg should be small, but not      scrambled).

5. Add the cornflour mixture and serve! :)

Happy cooking!

The Ojisu Team