Re-entering the Kitchen: Chawan-mushi (Japanese Steamed Egg Custard)

My mom used to make steamed egg custard for us when we were kids for as long as I could remember. Hers was the Chinese style: egg + water + minced pork + light soy sauce -> steam for 10-15 minutes and serve. It was common fare and nothing to rave about really.

Now, the Japanese has elevated this simple egg dish with a dash of dashi, sake and delectable ingredients. It is no wonder that the Japanese style egg custard has found its way to the menu of Japanese restaurants while their Chinese equivalent is somewhat confined to the home kitchen.

The recipe I used for chawan-mushi is a modified version from a cookbook. It is quick and easy to prepare.

Ingredients (makes 2 cups, each of 200 ml capacity)

• Eggs – 3 large, lightly beaten (avoid creating too much bubbles)
• Instant dashi powder – 1/4 – 1/2 tsp (can be bought from a well-stocked NTUC and Cold Storage. See picture below)
• Light soy sauce (mine’s Kikkoman’s premium light soy sauce) – 2 tsp
• Sake – 1 tsp
• Fresh shiitake mushrooms – 1, brush off dirt, sliced
• Spinach leaves – 10 –  20 leaves, rinsed (The number of leaves will depend on the type of spinach used. Chinese spinach leaves are thinner and hence more should be used.)
• Prawns – 4 small / 2 medium, shelled and *de-veined
• Marinate for prawns: 1 tsp light soy sauce + 1 tsp sake
• Water – 300 ml

Method

1) Marinate the prawns in light soy sauce and sake for about 10 minutes. (optional)

2) In the meantime, blanch the spinach leaves in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain them using a sieve and press the excess water out of the sieve with the back of a spoon. If the spinach leaves are large, chop coarsely.

3) Divide the spinach leaves, mushroom slices and prawns equally and place them into 2 porcelain / ceramic chawan-mushi cups. Tea cups and ramekins work as well but bear in mind that the holding capacity may differ.

4) Start the steamer.

5) Fill a measuring cup with 300 ml of water and dissolve instant dashi powder in it. (I simply shook a bit of powder out of a 5 g pack, stirred to dissolve and tasted it to determine whether more powder was required. Personal preference lah. It is better to use less than more.)

6) To the instant dashi broth, add 2 tsp of light soy, 1 tsp of sake and 3 beaten eggs. Stir gently to combine well. Pour the egg mixture through a fine sieve into the 2 cups leaving 1 cm space to the rim.  Cover the cups with a plastic cling wrap (this is to prevent condensation from dripping into the egg mixture during steaming).

7) Place the cups in the steamer, cover it and steam them in medium-low heat for about 15 minutes. Make sure the cups do not come into contact with the boiling water..

8) Once steaming is done, carefully take out the hot cups and remove the cling wrap before serving.

Other common ingredients used for chawan-mushi are crab sticks, chicken pieces, gingko nuts, carrots and Japanese fish cake. Feel free to use what you like.

*Devein the prawns by inserting a toothpick under the vein in the centre back and gently lifting the vein out.