Chawanmushi
Ingredients
For the custard:
1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
160 grams eggs, about 3 large, beaten into egg wash
For the garnish:
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
Preparation
Step 1. Mix the egg wash with chicken broth. To achieve extra-smooth custard, you may want to skim off egg foams if there is any.
Step 2. Choose a bowl that fits your steamer and a plate slightly bigger to just cover the bowl. Allow your steamer to preheat.
Step 3. Place the bowl of egg wash mixture inside the steamer. Cover the bowl with the plate. Covering with a plate is optional: it helps the custard to cook gently and therefore produce a very smooth interior texture. Cover your steamer and set it to low. Steam for 10 to 15 minutes. The timing really depends on your steamer and you will find a time that is just long enough to set the custard.
Step 4. (Optional) If you want to add topping to your custard, you can now place it on top. Depending on what it is, let the steamer work for additional time to cook the topping. For example, a piece of raw shrimp will take another 5 minutes to cook through.
Step 5. After turning off the steamer, don’t remove the bowl immediately. Allow it to cool inside the covered steamer for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 6. Gently pour on top the sesame oil and soy sauce. Sprinkle on top the green onion.
Notes
It is important that you use salted chicken broth. Salt (NaCl) provides electrolyte which in this recipe is essential for the custard to set.Also note not all chicken broths are created equal. In choosing the best pantry items, we often do a blinded taste test to compare. For chicken broths, we have seen sodium amount ranges from 500mg to 860mg per cup (reduced-sodium items excluded) from different brands. We found anything above 700mg is overly salty. We suggest you take notes of pantry items you buy, pay attention to their nutritional labels, and compare tastes between different selections. If you budget permits, always choose the organic ones to support responsible farming and for the benefit of your own health.In testing our recipe we used a broth selection that contains 500mg sodium per cup. The resulted custard is well-set and velvety. It is a little under-salted on its own but the added soy sauce was just enough to elevate the saltiness to the right level.