Savory Egg Custard

Name: Savory Egg Custard (Chawanmushi)
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon canola or other neutral oil; 1 teaspoon sake; ½ teaspoon soy sauce; Pinch of salt; 4 sprigs fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish (optional); 4 snow peas, trimmed (optional); 4 cooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp, sliced in half lengthwise; 1 green onion, including tender green top, chopped; 2 small fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps thinly sliced; 1½ tablespoons slivered bamboo shoots (optional); 1 teaspoon mirin; 1 cup dashi or chicken broth; ½ boneless, skinless chicken thigh cut into bite-sized pieces, and just cooked through with a little oil and a teaspoon of sake in a frying pan; 2 eggs

Chawanmushi

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Let's Cook Japanese Food!

By Amy Kaneko

Published 2017

About

This is a classic starter: part soup and part custard, a savory pudding with small bites of chicken, shiitake, and other little surprises. My daughter Nami is the expert chawanmushi maker in our house. The additions are accents, thought of as treasures in the custardy base.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon canola or other neutral oil
1 teaspoon sake
½

Asia
Japan
Dessert
Starter

Method

Fill a large pot with 3 inches of water and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a frying pan over medium heat, warm the oil with the sake, add the chicken, and cook until the chicken is just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the eg