Japanese Egg Custard (Chawanmushi)

I have been very adventurous with my cooking lately, as a result I cooked up this traditional Japanese appetizer that sometimes is served at sushi restaurants.  "Chawan" means tea cup or rice bowl and "mushi" means steamed in Japanese.  I always had a love for steamed egg dishes such as the Chinese one here that I grew up eating.

The texture of the steamed egg custard is very smooth and melts in your tongue as it enters the mouth.

The recipe I am sharing consists of pork and shrimp, if you are allergic to either of the ingredients you can just omit them.  If you want just a plain egg custard without any of the toppings/fillings and save time, you would only need eggs, water and salt.

The other reason why I decided to make this dish besides my love for Japanese food is the fact that it's nutritious and super easy to eat.  My mother was recently hospitalized due to an accident related to hot liquid.  A feeding tube had to be placed through her nose, throat and down to the stomach so she was having a hard time chewing and swallowing food.  This steamed egg custard was perfect for her as she could easily ingest it.  If you have a little one at home, this would make a great snack as well.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups (480ml) Dashi (powder fish stock, read instructions on package on how to mix)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Mijiu (sake is traditionally used but rice cooking wine would do the trick)
• 1 tsp Mirin (sweet cooking rice seasoning)
• 2-4 shrimp, sliced into 2 pieces each if big
• 1/2 pork meat, cut into bite size pieces
• 1-2 shiitake mushroom, sliced
• green onion, chopped

Instructions

1. Marinade pork and shrimps. In a small bowl, mix pork pieces with 1/2 tsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp Mijiu or Sake. In another bowl, mix shrimp and 1/2 tsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp Mijiu or Sake. Let them sit for a couple of minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix eggs, Dashi, salt, 1 tsp soy sauce, and Mirin together. Strain the egg mixture through a sieve. Let as much egg as you can go through the sieve.
3. Place 1/4 amount of pork, shrimp, and shiitake mushrooms in each of 4 small cups (small bowls work too), then pour egg mixture over them to fill 3/4 of a cup. Cover with aluminum foil and put the covered cups into a steamer.
4. Steam at medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Check with a wooden skewer to see if it's done. If clear broth comes out when poked, take the cups out from the steamer (BE VERY CAREFUL AS THE HOT CERAMICS AND STEAM CAN CAUSE BURNS)
5. Sprinkle chopped green onion and cover again for 2-3 minutes.

  Be Inspired - Lily