A Note on This Recipe
A silky, savory egg custard takes a bit more effort than your typical egg dish. This version skips dashi stock and pre-cooking the fillings.
Dashi isn’t exactly a common pantry ingredient for most people, so soy sauce takes its place. Straining does give a slightly smoother finish, but it’s not essential, skip it if you’re short on time or dishes. Shrimp and shiitake mushrooms cook fast, so they go in raw, seasoning the custard from the inside as it steams and releasing their own broth into the egg mixture. Steaming on low heat is what gets you that signature silky-smooth texture, the same gentle method traditional chawanmushi relies on.
How to Make It
Prepare the Fillings
Cut the shrimp into bite-size pieces if they are large. Clean the mushrooms, remove the stems, and score a cross on each cap. Finely chop the green onion. Pick the parsley leaves from the stems.
Prepare the Egg Mixture
Crack the eggs into a measuring cup or medium bowl. Add the soy sauce (or dashi powder), mirin, and salt, then beat gently until smooth and well combined. Pour in the water and stir to blend.
Skim off any foam from the surface with a spoon. For an extra silky texture, strain the mixture through a fine sieve (optional).
Assemble
Divide the shrimp, mushrooms, and green onion among two ramekins or small bowls. Pour the egg mixture into each, filling them about three-quarters full. Pop any bubbles on the surface with a toothpick or spoon. Garnish with the parsley.
Steam
Cover each bowl with a lid or foil. Place them in a steamer and cook over high heat for 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and steam for 12 to 15 minutes.
If your lid drips condensation, wrap it in a towel or leave the lid slightly ajar so water doesn’t drip onto the custard.
Check for Doneness
Insert a toothpick into the center of the custard. If it comes out with clear liquid, the custard is done. If the liquid looks cloudy or milky, steam for another 2 to 3 minutes and check again.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- ½ tsp soy sauce or dashi powder, if available
- 1 tsp mirin
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup water
- Frozen raw shrimp thawed, peeled, and deveined
- Shiitake mushroom caps
- Green onion chopped
- Fresh parsley leaves for garnish (or mitsuba, if available)
Instructions
- Prepare the fillings by thawing, peeling, and deveining the shrimp, cleaning and scoring the mushroom caps, and finely chopping the green onion.
- Beat the eggs with soy sauce, mirin, and salt, then stir in the water and skim any foam from the surface.
- Divide the fillings among ramekins, pour the egg mixture in about three-quarters full, and top with parsley.
- Cover each bowl with a lid or foil, steam over high heat for 3 minutes, then reduce to low and steam for 12–15 minutes until set.
- Test doneness by inserting a toothpick — it should come out with clear liquid.
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