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Cheese changes scrambled eggs most effectively when it melts into them rather than cooking beside them.

That is the finishing move in this recipe.

Tomato, onion, green chili, and cilantro are sautéed first. The eggs follow. Swiss Emmentaler is added only after the eggs have cooked, and the pan is removed from the heat while the cheese melts through.

Ingredients

Makes 4–6 servings

• 8 eggs
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 cup onion, minced
• 1 tsp fresh green chili, or to taste
• 1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup Swiss Emmentaler cheese, grated
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Method

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

Add the onion and green chili and sauté for about 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes and 1 tbsp cilantro.

Continue sautéing until the onion begins to caramelize and the tomatoes soften.

Reduce the heat to medium.

Pour in the beaten eggs.

Use a spatula to keep folding the mixture until the eggs are cooked through, about 1–2 minutes.

Add the grated Emmentaler.

Remove the pan from the heat and mix until the cheese melts through the eggs.

Garnish with the remaining cilantro and serve.

Cook the vegetables before the eggs

Tomatoes contain water.

If they are added too late, that moisture can loosen an otherwise finished scramble.

Giving the tomatoes time in the pan with the onion and cilantro before the eggs arrive allows them to soften and the onion to begin caramelizing.

That produces a more developed base.

Fold rather than leave the eggs alone

The instruction to keep folding the eggs with a spatula creates soft curds and distributes the tomato mixture throughout.

Because the cooking time after the eggs enter the pan is short, attention matters more than clock time.

Cheese finishes the dish

The pan comes off the heat when the Emmentaler is added.

Residual heat is enough to melt the cheese.

That keeps the eggs from staying over the flame while the cook waits for the cheese to soften.

Finishing off the heat is a form of temperature control.

The eggs stop cooking aggressively, while the cheese still gets exactly what it needs.