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Chawanmushi (Japanese Steamed Egg Custard)

Chawanmushi is a delicate, silky-smooth Japanese savory egg custard that’s both comforting and packed with umami. Made with dashi, eggs, and a variety of flavorful ingredients, this classic dish is steamed to perfection for a light and super satisfying bite.
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VIDEO

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course Japanese
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 3 servings
Calories 176

EQUIPMENT

  • 1 Cutting board
  • 1 Knife
  • 1 Kitchen scale
  • 1 Measuring cup
  • 1 Fine sieve
  • 3 Small tea cups details above
  • 1 Large pot with lid

INGREDIENTS
 

Egg Mixture Ingredients

  • 2 Eggs large
  • 1¼-1½ cups Dashi stock 300-360 ml
  • 1 teaspoon Mirin
  • 1 teaspoon Soy sauce usukuchi
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Fillings

  • 1 Chicken thigh boneless/skinless
  • 3 Shrimp peeled/deveined
  • 2 tablespoon Sake
  • 2 ounces Shimeji mushrooms
  • 1½ ounce Kamaboko Japanese fish cake

Garnish

  • 1-2 Green onion
  • 2 tablespoon Ikura salmon roe

INSTRUCTIONS

Preparing the fillings

  • Trim any fat or bones off chicken and cut into roughly 1-inch squares. Marinate with 1 tablespoon of sake in a small bowl for about 10 minutes.
  • Marinate shrimp with 1 tablespoon of sake for 10 minutes.
  • Cut off the bottom of shimeji mushrooms and break it apart.
  • Cut 6 thin slices of kamaboko.
  • Dice the green part of green onion into thin slices for garnish.

Egg mixture

  • Crack open the eggs into a bowl and weigh them. Take the weight of the eggs and multiply it by 3 to determine how much dashi stock we'll need. For example, if the eggs weigh 100 grams then 100 x 3 = 300, which is how many milliliters of dashi we'll need.
  • Mix the eggs well but try not to create too much foam or bubbles.
  • Add in the dashi, mirin, soy sauce, and salt. Mix until the salt dissolves. *Note: if using dashi made from scratch, make sure that it's fully cooled before adding it in.
  • Strain the mixture through a fine sieve.

Assembling

  • Place chicken pieces at the bottom of each cup, making sure they're spread out rather than stacked on top of each other.
  • Add shimeji mushrooms, followed by 1 shrimp in each, and 2 kamaboko slices.
  • Give the egg mixture a light stir and carefully pour it into each cup, filling them about 80% full.
  • Remove any bubbles on the surface using a skewer or by lightly running a kitchen torch over the top.
  • Cover the cups with aluminum foil to prevent condensation from dripping in.

Steaming

  • Fill a large pot with about 2-3 inches of water (enough to reach halfway up the cups).
  • Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer.
  • Carefully place the cups into the pot, cover with a lid, and leave a small gap for steam to escape. We want it to be at a constant light simmer with ideal temperature between 175-195℉ (80-90℃).
  • Steam gently for 20-25 minutes until the custard is set and liquid is clear.
  • When done, carefully take out each cup with a pair of tongs or heat safe gloves.

Garnish

  • Garnish the top with green onion and ikura (salmon roe). Serve hot or warm with a small spoon.

NUTRITION

Calories: 176kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 17gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 206mgSodium: 785mgPotassium: 292mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 296IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 1mg
Keyword chawanmushi, Japanese steamed egg custard
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