by Leona Ash

Created on: April 17, 2008   Last Updated: April 19, 2008

Chawan-Mushi is both a feast for the eye and the mouth. Its fans spans from Japanese to non-Japanese as well.

Chawan-Mushi is a delicately flavoured and decorated egg custard served in a small tea cup or bowl. Floating on top of the egg custard you can catch a glimpse of the Ume-bu (a flower-shaped wheat gluten coloured and shaped like an ume (plum) flower), gingko nuts and within you can find a treasure trove of chicken, scallop, fish cake and other goodies. It is also one of the most common side dishes in Japanese restaurants and there's a secret as to how to get the egg custard steamed into a tofu-like texture without any air bubbles inside. Find out how here.

Ingredients:

200 grams of chicken
2-3 fresh Shiitake Mushrooms
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
8 shelled and boiled gingko nuts
4 slices of kamaboko (one red and one white)
1 tablespoon of Mirin (sweet rice cooking wine)
4 eggs
4 shelled shrimps
1 cups of Dashi stock
1 teaspoon sake
2/3 teaspoon salt

4 small porcelain tea cups or a larger porcelain bowl.

Preparation:

1. Thinly slice the chicken. Soak the shiitake mushrooms, cut off the stems and thinkly slice.
2. Sprinkle teaspoon light soy sauce over the chicken and mushrooms and leave to season.
3. Shell the gingko nuts and boil in some salt water until slightly soft. Peel off the skin.
4. Break the eggs into a large bowl and using a pair of chopsticks or fork, lightly break the egg whites. Stir the eggs in a clock-wise direction until even, do not beat.
5. Add 3 parts dashi to 1 part eggs, mirin, sake and soy sauce and mix well.
6. Strain the egg mixture over a sieve to obtain its smooth texture.
7. Arrange the chicken, shrimp and mushrooms into the bottom of the tea cup and fill the cup full with the egg mixture.
8. Place the cups into a steamer on high heat for about 1 minute. Switch to low heat and cook for another 15 minutes.
9. Using a bamboo stick, insert the stick into the custard. The custard is cooked if clear liquid comes out.
10. Now carefully arrange the gingko nuts and kamaboko on top of the custard. Slightly cover with more egg mixture and steam for another 4 minutes.
11. To keep the custard warm, you can cover the bowl with a lid until it is served.

Learn more about this author, Leona Ash.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.