Equipment
Ingredients
Custard Base
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 300 ml dashi stock, cooled
- 10 ml soy sauce, liquid
- 10 ml mirin
- 1 g salt
Fillings
- 40 g chicken thigh, diced small
- 2 shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 shiitake mushroom, sliced thin
- 2 kamaboko fish cake
Garnish
- 2 mitsuba
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 176 kcal
- Protein
- 19 g
- Carbohydrates
- 9 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 777 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 179 mg
- Potassium
- 479 mg
- Calcium
- 91 mg
- Iron
- 3.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 37 mg
- Phosphorus
- 195 mg
- Zinc
- 1.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 188 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 41 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.7 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin K
- 493 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.4 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.06 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.24 mg
- Niacin
- 2.1 mg
- Folate
- 62 mcg
- Water
- 101 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
- Caffeine
- 0 mg
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Prepare the fillings. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces (1-2cm). If the shrimp are large, cut them in half. Place the chicken and shrimp in a small bowl with a dash of soy sauce (separate from the custard amount) to season slightly.
Crack eggs into a mixing bowl. Using a fork or chopsticks, beat the eggs gently. Try to cut the yolks rather than whipping air into them; we want to minimize foam creation.
Add the dashi stock, soy sauce, mirin, and salt to the beaten eggs. Mix gently to combine.
Strain the egg mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a measuring cup or spouted bowl. This removes chalaza and foam, ensuring a perfectly smooth, silky texture.
Divide the chicken, shrimp, shiitake slices, and kamaboko evenly between two heat-proof cups. Pour the strained egg mixture over the ingredients, filling to about 80% capacity.
Prepare the steamer. Bring about 3cm of water to a boil in a pot. Once boiling, reduce heat to low. The water should be barely simmering, not violently bubbling.
Cover the cups with foil or their lids. Place cups in the steamer. Wrap the steamer pot lid with a kitchen towel (to prevent condensation from dripping onto the custard) and place it on the pot. Steam on low heat for 12-15 minutes.
Check doneness by inserting a bamboo skewer; clear broth should run out, not milky egg. The center should jiggle slightly but be set. Top with mitsuba/greens and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- The golden ratio for chawanmushi is 1 part egg to 3 parts dashi (by volume or weight) for a soup-like softness, or 1:2.5 for a firmer custard.
- Wrapping the pot lid in a towel is a crucial professional technique; it absorbs condensation that would otherwise drip onto the custard and ruin the smooth surface.
- If you don't have a steamer, you can place the cups in a deep skillet with water coming halfway up the sides of the cups (bain-marie method), covered.
- Allow the ingredients to cool slightly before adding the egg mixture so the eggs don't begin to cook prematurely.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Cover tightly with plastic wrap; texture may firm up slightly when cold.
Reheating: Gently steam for 2-3 minutes or microwave on low power just to take the chill off.
Troubleshooting
Custard has many holes and a rough texture (Su)
Cause: Steaming heat was too high
Fix: Cannot be fixed once cooked, but still edible
Prevention: Keep water at a gentle simmer and leave the pot lid slightly ajar if necessary to regulate temperature
Cultural Context
Chawanmushi literally translates to 'tea cup steam.' Unlike Western custards which are sweet, this is a distinctively Japanese savory dish often served as part of a kaiseki meal or set menu. It represents the Japanese appreciation for subtle textures and the pure flavor of dashi.
