Chawan Mushi

A favorite comfort food from my childhood is chawan mushi, an elegant, Japanese style steamed egg custard. (The name literally means something like “steamed in a teacup.”) I first encountered this dish at home at the breakfast table, when my mother would sometimes have a little fun and make chawan mushi instead of the usual fried or scrambled eggs. Silky and light, it melted in the mouth…I instantly loved it. Finding it at breakfast in the morning was always a happy, festive start to the day.

There are beautiful lidded cups that are designed specifically for cooking and serving chawan mushi. I own several and love them dearly, but you don’t necessarily have to use them…you can also use teacups or personal sized ramekins. My ever resourceful Taiwanese mom would simply add her egg mixture to a small rice bowl, cover it with a saucer, and then pop everything into a covered wok with a small amount of water on the bottom to steam. The resulting product always turned out beautifully.

As an adult, I still have a soft spot for chawan mushi, and find that it makes a stylish appetizer or light meal. I also think it would be just the thing to eat after a night of drinking or overindulging. Whenever you decide to eat it, whether it’s for a festive breakfast, a fun meal starter or something to pamper your post-party stomach…chawan mushi is easy to make and the perfect comfort food in a cup.

Chawan Mushi/Steamed Japanese Egg Custard

(Serves 2-3, depending on what cups you are using)

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1.5 cups dashi stock
• 1 tablespoon light colored Japanese style soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon mirin

(Note: To make dashi stock—Take a 6-inch piece of kombu (dried sea kelp), wipe clean with a damp towel, and make a few cuts along the edges with scissors (This will extract more flavor from the kelp…more surface area exposed = more flavor). Add kombu to 5 cups of water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat. Just before it reaches a boil, remove the kombu and add 2.5 cups of dried bonito flakes. Turn off the heat and let sit for about 6 minutes or until the flakes sink to the bottom. Strain into a bowl through a piece of cheesecloth. The dashi stock is now ready to use or freeze (will keep in the freezer for about a month). You can also use instant dashi powder to make the stock.)

Filling:

• 1 sliced shiitake mushroom (fresh or rehydrated)
• 2-3 asparagus spears, sliced into pieces about 2 inches long.
• 2-3 shrimp, cleaned, deveined and with tail left on

(Note: Feel free to go ahead and change the filling ingredients according to your preference. Just be sure to limit it to no more than three, or it will overwhelm the delicate flavor of the custard. You could try water chestnuts, tofu, small cubes of chicken, crabmeat, baby corn…anything you think of or have on hand. Just go for it and have fun creating your own unique combination.)

Garnish:

• Mitsuba (Japanese parsley) or if not available, flat leaf parsley or cilantro

Equipment:

• A pot with steamer basket
• Cheesecloth or fine strainer
• 2-3 chawan mushi cups (or teacups/small ramekins and aluminum foil)

Directions:

Fill pot about halfway with water and bring to a boil.

Combine egg, dashi stock, soy sauce and mirin in a bowl and with smooth strokes, gently beat with chopsticks. Try not to create too much froth, because you don’t want a lot of air bubbles in your custard.

Strain egg mixture through cheesecloth or strainer.

Divide egg mixture among the chawan mushi cups.

Add a few slices of mushroom, one shrimp, and an asparagus piece (using an end piece that includes the pointy tip looks best) to each cup. Cover with lids if using chawan mushi cups, or cover with foil if using the ramekins or teacups.

When water in pot reaches a boil, place cups into steamer basket. Steam on high heat for 2 minutes, then reduce heat to low for another 10-12 minutes.

Test the surface with toothpick or skewer to check doneness…some clear liquid should form on top when prodded. Custard should be smooth and soft but not super firm. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look completely gelled, it is supposed to be a silken consistency. If it looks underdone, just keep on the steamer and re-cover, checking back at 1-2 minute intervals until it reaches the desired consistency. I have an old gas stove that is sometimes difficult to control accurately, so for me, there is a lot of “check and see” to this…sometimes that means an extra minute or two, sometimes it means an extra 10. Just make sure the flame isn’t too high or custard is not cooked for too long or it will get tough and unattractive.

When the custard looks done, remove from steamer, garnish surface with a leaf of parsley or mitsuba, and serve immediately. (Or for you Flickr addicts, that means immediately after you take all your photographs…you know what I’m talking about.)

Grab a spoon and enjoy!