Chawanmushi: Steamed Egg Custard
This is a dish of precision and patience. You are looking for a custard that holds its shape on a spoon but melts the moment it touches the tongue.
Control the steam, control the texture.
The biggest enemy of a smooth custard is high heat, which creates air bubbles. Keep the water at a steady, low simmer, never a rolling boil.
- steamer pot
- fine mesh sieve
- 4 heat-proof ceramic ramekins or chawanmushi cups
- aluminum foil
What goes in.
- 3large eggs
- 2 cupsdashi (cold)
- 1 tbsplight soy sauce
- 1 tspmirin
- 4shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 4shiitake mushroom slices
- 4mitsuba or scallion sprigs
Eliminate the air
Pass your egg and dashi mixture through a fine-mesh sieve at least twice. This removes the chalaza and bubbles, ensuring a glass-like finish.
The method.
Whisk
Gently whisk the eggs in a bowl without creating foam. Add the dashi, soy sauce, and mirin, stirring slowly to combine.
Strain
Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup. Do this twice to ensure the liquid is completely smooth.
Prepare cups
Place one shrimp, one mushroom slice, and a piece of mitsuba into each cup. Slowly pour the egg mixture over the ingredients until the cups are 80% full.
Cover
Cover each cup tightly with aluminum foil to prevent condensation from dripping onto the custard surface.
Steam
Place the cups in a steamer with water already simmering. Lower the heat to the lowest possible setting. Steam for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave them in the steamer for another 5 minutes.
Other turns to take.
Vegetarian
Replace dashi with kombu-only broth and swap shrimp for gingko nuts or bamboo shoots.
Rich
Add a small piece of chicken thigh or kamaboko fish cake to the base of each cup.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If the custard has bubbles on top when you pour, pop them with a toothpick before covering.
A folded kitchen towel under the cups inside the steamer helps regulate the heat coming from the bottom.
Test for doneness by giving the cup a slight shake; the center should wobble like jelly but not ripple like liquid.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why did my custard come out grainy?
The heat was too high. The eggs scrambled instead of setting into a custard. Keep the steam gentle.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Chawanmushi is best served warm immediately after steaming, though it can be gently reheated in a steamer.
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