Chawanmushi
Dashi makes a delicate Japanese savoury egg custard.
Japan · Silky · Easy · Researched
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Serves
- 2
Pot with rack and lid · Two 200 ml heatproof cups · Fine sieve · Foil · Food thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 large egg, about 50 ml without shell
- 150 ml prepared, cooled dashi
- ½ tsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp mirin
- A pinch of salt
- 2 small shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 20 g cooked fish cake or cooked chicken, diced
Method
Mix the custard
Beat the egg gently and add cooled dashi, soy, mirin and salt.
Look for: Dashi and egg blend without foaming.
Fill the cups
Divide mushrooms and cooked fish cake or chicken between cups. Strain the custard over them and cover each cup loosely with foil.
Look for: The cups have room above the liquid.
Steam on low heat
Place on a rack above simmering water. Cover and steam gently for 15–20 minutes, checking at 15.
Look for: The liquid becomes a soft, unified custard.
Check the centre
Check for 71°C / 160°F at the centre and no loose egg. Remove with gloves and serve warm.
Look for: A spoonful releases clear dashi rather than cloudy raw egg.
Equipment & heat
Equipment & heat
Use a pot with a rack and a close-fitting lid on any compatible hob. Maintain gentle steam, checking the water does not run dry. Reduce induction power once steam forms; keep gas flames under the pot. On electric, move the pot off the hot ring to stop cooking.
Nonstick: No frying pan needed.
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
Too much heat makes a pocked surface. Raw, bulky fillings can slow setting; this guide uses small, cooked protein pieces.
About this version
About this version
This small home version uses a 1:3 egg-to-dashi ratio by volume. Ginkgo nuts, prawns and other fillings are common; they require appropriate preparation before adding.
Unless stated otherwise, use large chicken eggs, approximately 60 g in the shell, refrigerated. Timings are starting points: use the visual checkpoints and any stated temperature check.
Sources
This guide was written from the references below. Egg Atlas has not kitchen-tested it.
Illustrations by Egg Atlas. They show the method; they are not photographs of a tested result.