Japanese Chawanmushi (Savory steamed egg)

I had this savory egg custard in Japan and it was delicious! I doubled this recipe and made 8 of them in small ramekins. Make sure to remember to turn down the water when you put the ramekins so that the water doesn’t end up in the ramekins. 

Chawanmushi (Japanese Steamed Egg Custard) (~from Just One Cookbook)

Ingredients

·        2 dried shiitake mushrooms

·        3 Tbsp water

·        ½ cup dashi (120 ml) (Used recipe from Just One Cookbook using Hondashi powder- for every 2 cups water, need 1 tsp of dashi powder)

·        ½ boneless skinless chicken thigh (cut into small chunks, seasoned with salt, and cooked for several minutes first)

·        ½ Tbsp sake (for chicken) (omitted Sake and seasoned with salt)

·        1 large egg

·        6 slices carrot (thin round slices) (used julienned carrots)

·        6 ginkgo nuts (pre-cooked) (optional) (omitted)

·        1 oz shimeji mushrooms (1 oz = 30 g) (used dried shitake mushrooms)

·        6 slices Kamaboko (fish cake) (thin slices) (used 8 slices for 8 small ramekins and cut them in half so 16 slices)

·        4 Mitsuba (Japanese parsley) (or 1 green onion/scallion) (did not use)

Seasonings:

·        ½ tsp mirin

·        ½ tsp soy sauce (Preferably use Usukuchi Soy Sauce - See Notes)

·        ¼ tsp salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt)

Toppings (optional):

·        2 pieces uni (sea urchin)

·        2 Tbsp Ikura (salmon roe)

Directions

·        Gather all the ingredients.  I use 2 chawanmushi cups (each can fill up to 200 ml).

·        Gather all ingredients. I use 2 chawanmushi cups (each can fill up to 200 ml). (Used 8 small white ramekins)

·        In a small bowl, put 2 dried shiitake and 3 Tbsp water and rehydrate for 15 minutes. When shiitake becomes soft, squeeze water out and slice them thinly. Tip: This liquid is Shiitake Dashi. If you want to use this Shiitake Dashi as a part of your dashi in this recipe, remove 2 Tbsp from ½ cup dashi, and replace with 2 Tbsp Shiitake Dashi. (did not use the liquid from the mushrooms)

·        Cut chicken thigh into ½-inch pieces and put them in a bowl. Add ½ Tbsp sake and set aside for 15 minutes. (did not marinate with sake. Did season with salt and cooked partially)

·        Cut out the carrot slices into a flower shape with vegetable cutters. (used julienned carrots)

·        Tie mitsuba like this. (omitted)

·        Whisk the egg in a medium bowl. Add the seasonings and ½ cup dashi. Mix well.

·        Then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into another bowl. (did not do this step)

·        In a large pot, bring water to boil. The amount of water should cover ½ of chawanmushi cup. When boiling, reduce the heat to the lowest heat.

·        Divide all the ingredients into 2 chawanmushi cups; I started with chicken, shiitake, ginkgo nuts, and shimeji. Then put more colorful ingredients like carrot, kamaboko, and mitsuba on top. (I put a kamaboko on top after pouring the egg mixture)

·        Gently pour the egg mixture into the cups, keeping some ingredients on top uncovered with egg mixture. Cover with the chawanmushi lid (or cover with aluminum foil).

·        Once water starts boiling, reduce the heat to the lowest heat. Gently place the cups inside the hot water and cover the pot with the lid. Cook for 25-30 minutes on the lowest heat. If you do not add the chicken, the cooking time should only be 15-20 minutes (cooked 15 min). Insert a skewer in the center of the cup to check if the egg is done. Optionally, I like to put uni (sea urchin) and ikura (salmon roe) on top.