Japanese
Chawanmushi
Silken Japanese steamed egg custard with dashi, chicken, shrimp, shiitake, ginkgo nuts, and mitsuba.
4 servings · 30 minutes prep · 22 minutes cook
Ingredients
Fillings
- 4 oz boneless skinless chicken thigh, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 tsp sake
- 1 tsp Japanese soy sauce
- 4 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps thinly sliced
- 4 slices kamaboko
- 8 cooked ginkgo nuts
Custard
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups dashi, cooled to room temperature
- 2 tsp usukuchi soy sauce
- 2 tsp mirin
- 1/4 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 4 small mitsuba sprigs
Directions
Prepare the Fillings and Steamer
- Toss the chicken with the sake and soy sauce and rest 10 minutes. Bring 1 inch of water to a steady simmer in a wide large pot fitted with a wire rack, and wrap the lid in a clean kitchen towel to catch condensation.
- Divide the chicken, shiitake, kamaboko, and ginkgo nuts among four 6-oz lidded chawanmushi cups or heatproof cups. Reserve the shrimp and mitsuba.
Mix and Portion the Custard
- Break the eggs into a bowl and stir slowly with chopsticks until the whites and yolks are combined without incorporating air. Add the cooled dashi, usukuchi soy sauce, mirin, and salt. Stir gently, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a spouted pitcher.
- Pour the custard over the fillings, leaving 1/2 inch at the top, and pop any surface bubbles. Cover each cup with its lid or tightly with foil.
Steam and Serve
- Place the cups on the rack, cover the pot, and steam over medium heat for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat so the water barely simmers, prop the pot lid open slightly with a chopstick, and steam 10 minutes.
- Uncover the cups and place one shrimp on each custard. Cover again and steam gently for 4 to 6 minutes, until the custard is just set at the edges but trembles at the center, its center reaches about {{temperature:175°F}}, the chicken reaches at least {{temperature:165°F}}, and the shrimp reaches {{temperature:145°F}} without turning firm.
- Remove the cups carefully, top each with mitsuba, cover, and rest 2 minutes. Serve hot in the cups with small spoons.
