Chawanmushi – Japanese Steamed Egg

Craving a light and flavorful comfort food? Make Chawanmushi, a Japanese appetizer consisting of egg mixture with dashi stock, and soy sauce, along with customizable toppings, and it is steamed in a cup. This silky savory steamed egg custard melts in your mouth with every bite!

This Chawanmushi recipe is always a success and super easy to make. It was served in a tiny cup with various fillings/toppings. It looked so simple, and comfortable yet so fancy and elegant. Today, we’ll guide you through the essential ingredients and steps to create a perfect Chawanmushi at home!

A famous Japanese appetizer, Chawanmushi

So, What is chawanmushi? Basically, Chawanmushi translates to ‘teacup steamed egg custard’.  Chawan means tea cup and mushi means steam in Japanese. The egg mixture is literally steamed in tea cups. Chawanmushi is made with eggs, dashi stock, soy sauce, salt, and mirin ( skip the mirin because I’m omitting the alcohol thing for my recipe) and filled with ingredients such as chicken, prawns, kamaboko, mushrooms, and then drizzled with ankake sauce.

The steamed custard is smooth and silky. When you dig deeper, you will scoop up various ingredients embedded at the bottom of the teacup. It is fun to guess what you will fish out next, as the type of ingredients is highly customizable. Feel free to serve the dish as a cold or hot appetizer, but I prefer hot.

In addition, you don’t have to have a special chawanmushi cup. You could use a rice bowl, a teacup, a mug, or a small bowl you have with note heat-resistant.

For the dashi stock. Dashi is a flavorful broth that forms the base of many Japanese soups, sauces, and even some stews. Made from kombu (kelp) and katsuobushi (bonito flakes), it provides a unique savory and umami taste that is fundamental to Japanese cooking. Also, you can easily buy pre-made dashi stock packets at your local Japanese specialty store or even at certain Chinese grocery stores.

Are your equipment and ingredients already complete? Let’s come to the recipe today!

Ingredients of Chawanmushi

• Eggs; The egg is what turns the stock into a custard. For chawanmushi, you want to use a 3:1 ratio of stock to egg. So, for example, if you have 1 ½ cups of stock, you’d need to add ½ cup of egg. 
• Water; This helps to thin the dashi and adjust the consistency of the custard.
• Dashi powder; The flavor of the chawanmushi comes from the stock, which is why it’s essential to use a high-quality one. Traditionally chawanmushi is made with dashi, which is a Japanese soup stock made from katsuobushi and konbu. Still, this steamed egg works with any flavorful stock such as chicken stock or mushroom stock.
• Salt; Do not use salt too much, as it already added with soy sauce.
• Soy sauce; Adds a touch of savory umami flavor. Use a light soy sauce like Kikkoman for best results.
• Sugar; A small amount of sugar balances the savory flavors and creates a more delicate taste.

Topping

The sky’s the limit in terms of things that you can add to this steamed egg. Traditional ingredients include chicken, shrimp, crab, ginkgo nuts, mushrooms, and kamaboko (fish cake), but there’s so much room for improvisation. This recipe suggests using mushrooms, shrimp, or crab sticks. Mushroom, Shrimp, Crab stick. Meanwhile, for my recipe, I use the simple shimeji mushroom, Fresh shrimp, and crab stick. Feel free to add topping as you wish to like.

Note; For the vegetarian option you can skip the shrimp and crabstick, just go with any mushrooms you love or add tofu.

Instructions for making Chawanmushi

First, Gently break your eggs into a medium bowl. Then, using chopsticks or a whisk, gently beat the eggs until they are well combined. Be mindful to avoid creating too much foam, as this can affect the texture of the custard.

Secondly, let’s build the Savory Dashi Broth, In a separate bowl, mix together the chicken powder, dashi, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and water. Then, gently stir the mixture until everything is completely dissolved and well combined.

Third, Place your chosen toppings (mushrooms, shrimp, crab sticks, or your favorites!) into individual serving cups. Slowly pour the strained egg mixture over the toppings in each cup, filling them about 3/4 full. Don’t forget to Strain the mixture to help remove any unwanted air bubbles that could create a rough texture in the finished Chawanmushi.

Fourth, Fill your steamer with water and bring it to a boil. Once steaming, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Carefully place the covered cups (with a few poked holes in the plastic wrap) inside the steamer.

Now,  Briefly increase the heat to bring the steamer back to a simmer, then reduce the heat again and steam for 5-7 minutes. This initial steaming helps the custard set slightly. Then, continue steaming for an additional 10 minutes. This allows the custard to fully cook through and achieve its signature silky texture.

Finally, Once steamed, remove the cups from the steamer and discard the plastic wrap. Enjoy your delicious Chawanmushi while it’s warm! Happy eating!

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By the way, I’m happy to find an easy and delectable recipe like this! and I hope you enjoy it as much as mine!

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SEE OTHER SOUPS TO WARM YOUR DAY:

• TOFU CHICKEN MEATBALL IN OYSTER SAUCE SOUP
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• CRAB AND CORN SOUP
• WONTON CLEAR SOUP

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Written by Silni Asfia