Chawanmushi — Silken Savory Custard

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1½ cups cold dashi
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp mirin
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 shrimp, peeled
• 1 cup Shiitake Mushrooms, sliced
• 4 pieces kamaboko fish cake
• 4 sprigs mitsuba or 4 thin scallion slivers
• 8 ginkgo nuts (optional)

Method

1. Beat the eggs gently with chopsticks, cutting rather than whipping — bubbles are the enemy here. Stir in the cold dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and salt.
2. Strain the mixture twice through a fine sieve, then skim any foam off the surface with a spoon.
3. Divide the shrimp, Shiitake Mushrooms, and fish cake among four cups, then pour the custard over to three-quarters full. Cover each cup with foil.
4. Steam over low heat with the lid slightly ajar for 12–14 minutes. The water must never boil hard; a steady, lazy steam is what keeps the surface glass-smooth.
5. It's done when a skewer inserted at the edge releases clear liquid and the center barely trembles. Top with mitsuba and serve warm, with a spoon.