Steamed Egg Custard, chawanmushi, is a smooth custard with assorted ingredients served in small ovenproof cups with lids, or ramekins. They are commonly served as part of a traditional Japanese meal, such as in kaiseki.
Ingredients
1 cubed chicken breast fillet
4 deveined medium prawns, head, shell, and legs removed. Also cut into halves
5 fresh shiitake, or soaked if dried. Remove the stems and slice
1 1/2 usukuchi shoyu
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups dashi
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mirin
8 watercress leaves, but can also substitute spinach or mitsuba
Method
Blanch the chicken cubes and shrimp for 10 seconds, then drain and dry. With the mushrooms toss all in 1 tsp of shoyu. rest for 15 minutes, then place into 4 cups, portioning them evenly. Top with some chopped watercress.
Beat the eggs in another bowl but avoid frothing. Add the rest of the shoyu, dashi, salt and mirin, then pour into the cups through a sieve to eliminate lumps.
Place the cups onto a deep baking dish filled with water, submerging only halfway. bake in the oven on the bottom rack for 2 minutes at 350F, then drop to 195F for about 15 minutes more, until it is slightly firm, but not completely. remove and top with a piece of lightly steamed watercress as garnish.
Serve with the lids on, with a small dessert spoon.