Steamed Egg Custard | 茶碗蒸し [chawanmushi]

About “Chawanmushi” translateds literally into ‘chawan’ (porcelain tableware to drink Japanese tea) + ‘mushi’ (steamed). Is it a dessert???

　　 Matsutake Mushroom Flavored Instant Soup Mix -019🇯🇵|

茶碗蒸し [chawanmushi]

Chawanmushi is a savory appetizer of steamed egg custard with assorted ingredients such as shrimp, chicken, mushrooms, vegetables, fish cake etc., in a cup. It is served at home and in high-end Japanese restaurants (ryotei, kappo, sushi restaurants, etc.).

Chawanmushi is basically made by mixing eggs and dashi stock, and if you add some Umami-rich ingredient like dried shiitake mushrooms, it will have a rich taste.

Today, I will introduce an easy way to cook chawanmushi using Japanese instant matsutake mushroom flavored clear soup mix “Matsutakeno Aji Osuimono” by Nagatanien. This mix has all the essentials (dashi, dried mushrooms).

About “Matsutake-no Aji Osuimono”

"お吸いもの [osuimono ]" is traditional Japanese clear soup that allows us to enjoy the taste of dashi (of bonito or kelp) and seasonal ingredients. And, “matsutake” is the king of Japanese mushrooms. Domestic matsutakes are super expensive - like white truffles. 

Here is a Japanese domestic matsutake (about $570). If you want to know more, check IG@Kokomi_Ryori <https://www.instagram.com/kokomi_ryori/> out! 

Before starting to make chawanmushi, let’s make some soup!

Just pour boiling water (6fl.oz./180ml) into a mug or small bowl with the contents of one packet, and stir well. Voila!

How to make Chawanmushi:

There are 3 steps;

I. Preparing Ingredients

II. Steaming 

III. Finishing

Then, let’s start cooking!

I. Preparing Ingredients

1. Break the egg into a bowl, add water and soup mix, mix well, and strain to achieve a smooth texture. Try not to make bubbles when mixing.

2. Add the ingredients and then the egg mixture into heat resistant cups gently. If you have aluminum foil, cover the top of each cup.

*Kokomi’s point! You can return the soup mix ingredients after strain into the cup.

II. Steaming

1. Fill a pot that can accommodate your chawanmushi cups with water to a level that will surround the cups and boil.

2. Place the cups on the pot. It may be helpful to put some cloth between the pot and the cup.

3. Cover with a lid and lower the heat to medium for 3 minutes.

4.   Reduce the heat to low and stem for another 8-10 minutes with the lid opened just a bit.

5. Turn off the heat.

III. Finishing

Take off the aluminum foil and serve the chawanmushi. Let’s dig in!  

📌 Kokomi‘s Points for making delicious Chawanmushi

Incredible silky texture without air bubbles is the goal!

● Adding Umami

Recommend adding "dried shiitake" which is rich in umami-adding components such as glutamic acid and guanylic acid.

● Avoid making air bubbles

1. Don’t mix the eggs with a whisk as it will add bubbles. Put chopsticks or a fork on the bottom of the bowl and move it left and right, then add dashi, soy sauce, and salt.

2. Better to use a heavy cup/bowl/pottery with low thermal conductivity so the mixture heats gradually.

3. Pop bubbles on the surface of the mixture with a wet cloth.

4. Slow heating is important. When the water boils, reduce the heat to low and crack the lid to avoid a sudden increase/too high temperature.

 ● Cover the cup/bowl/pottery

During steaming, steam may fall as water droplets.  Cover the bowl when steaming, or cover the pot lid with a cloth.

📌 Ask Kokomi

Q1. I don’t have the product “Matsutake-no Aji Osuimono”.

You may replace with dashi stock 3/4 cup (150ml) + salt 1/6t + (low sodium) soy source 1/2t. Recommend adding some umami with, for example, small dried shiitake mushroom (after rehydrating).

Q2. I don’t want to use aluminum foil.

Cover the pot lid with a cloth.

Q3. I have a steamer or other gadgets to steam.

Place the cup in a steamer and steam on high heat (1 minute) first, then on low heat (18-20 minutes).

You may also wrap the cup and heat it in the microwave (600w) for 2.5 minutes.  Heat for an additional 10 minutes as needed.

Q4. Are there some ingredients that should not be added to Chawanmushi?

Maitake mushrooms are not great, because of their texture.

Q5. For the ultimate lazy and/or busy person:

Just mix the soup mix, water, and egg well, and steam it!!!

Q6. Where can I get Matsutake-no Aji Osuimono?

Japanese markets or internet

📍DC Area: Hana Market, Sushi Hinata, Maruichi Japanese Grocery