The Secret Recipe of Making Chawanmushi

When making chawanmushi, how do you ensure that the toppings stay suspended in the egg custard rather than sinking to the bottom?

If you want the toppings to stay visible above the custard, steam the egg over two times, first steam half of the egg mixture, then place the toppings on top before pouring in more egg mixture to steam for a further 2 to 3 minutes.

The recipe for this dish is very similar to that of Chinese steamed eggs, but sometimes the toppings may differ. The great thing about this recipe is that Chawanmushi can be eaten either hot or cold.

                                                  Ingredients:

2 ½ cups water

1 small handful bonito flakes

80g chicken breast meat

some fish meat

4 eggs

some fish cakes

some ginko nuts

dash of salt

a little potato starch

½ tbsp. water

Method:

1. Bring water to a boil, turn off the heat and steep bonito flakes in the water. Discard bonito when it sinks to the bottom of the pot. Strain the dashi and leave to cool.

2. Cut chicken meat into slices and mix well with seasonings together with the fish meat. Set aside for ten minutes, then scald briefly in boiling water.

3. Beat egg with a dash of salt, add dashi (amount of dashi is double the volume of the eggs) and mix well. Strain mixture into small cups or bowls. Divide the ingredients into the individual cups.

4. Cover with cling wrap and steam over low heat until the egg custard is set.

Lastly, some additional tips:
Do not beat the eggs too hard until the mixture turns foamy
For a smooth texture, stain the egg mixture
To allow the egg to cook faster, preheat the small cups or bowls before pouring in the egg mixture.

Enjoy your meal and don’t forget this recipe!