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Japan, Asia

Chawanmushi (Japanese Savoury Egg Custard)

A silky Japanese egg custard set with dashi and hiding chicken, prawns and shiitake, steamed gently until it trembles like a pudding.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time28 min
DifficultyMedium
About servingsThe chicken and prawns must be fully cooked: always check that a skewer brings up clear liquid.

Method

  1. Trim the skin and fat from the chicken, cut it into 1.5 cm pieces and toss with the sake and part of the soy sauce. Peel the prawns and pull out the dark vein along the back. Remove the shiitake stems and quarter the caps. Slice the kamaboko 5 mm thick. Make sure the dashi is at room temperature or cold: hot stock starts cooking the egg and makes lumps.

    Add in this stepBoneless chicken thigh 60 gCooking sake 1 tspSoy sauce (Japanese light soy if you have it) ¼ tspPrawns, peeled 4Fresh shiitake mushrooms 2Kamaboko (Japanese fish cake) slices 4

  2. Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them by moving chopsticks side to side along the bottom of the bowl, cutting through the whites. Don't whisk hard: bubbles leave holes in the custard. Stir in the dashi, the rest of the soy sauce, the mirin and salt, then pour the mixture through a fine sieve to remove the stringy bits and foam.

    Add in this stepEggs 2Dashi (bonito and kombu stock), cooled 300 mlSoy sauce (Japanese light soy if you have it) ¾ tspMirin 1 tspSalt 1 pinch

  3. Divide the chicken, prawns, shiitake and kamaboko between 2 × 250 ml heatproof cups (chawanmushi cups or mugs). Gently pour in the egg mixture to about 80% full and skim any bubbles off the surface with a spoon or the corner of a paper towel. Cover each cup with foil so drips from the lid don't fall in.

  4. Pour 3–4 cm of water into a 20 cm steamer pot and heat on high heat for about , until it is steaming hard. No steamer? Use a deep frying pan with a folded tea towel in the bottom and 2 cm of water.

    high heat

  5. Put the cups in the steamer, cover and steam on high heat for , then turn down to low heat, wedge a chopstick under the lid to leave a small gap and steam for more. Steaming hard the whole time makes the custard full of holes and rubbery. It is done when the centre wobbles like a pudding when you nudge the cup and a skewer pushed in brings up clear liquid. If the liquid is cloudy, steam 2 minutes more and check again.

    high heat→low heat

  6. Remove the foil, lay the mitsuba on top, cover again and leave in the switched-off steamer for . The cups are very hot, so lift them out with a cloth. Eat warm with a spoon.

    Add in this stepMitsuba sprigs (or chives or parsley leaves) 4

Cook's tip

One egg (about 50 ml) to 150 ml dashi, a 1:3 ratio, gives the silkiest set. A pitted, spongy surface means the heat was too high, so give it longer on low next time. If you use instant dashi powder, dissolve it as the packet says, cool it, and taste before salting because it is already seasoned.

Cooking it at camp

At a campsite, use a lidded camping pot with 2 cm of water and a folded cloth in the bottom, on the lowest burner flame. Wind makes the heat unsteady, so shield the stove. Strain the egg mixture at home, carry it in a sealed jar in the cooler and steam on site.