Silky mushroom and mitsuba chawanmushi

Method

1. 01

   Cool the dashi

   Prepare 450 ml unsalted dashi and cool it to about 45°C before it meets the eggs. Warm dashi can cook streaks into the custard, while hot dashi can scramble it.

   

2. 02

   Mix the custard

   Beat the 150 g eggs gently with the cooled dashi, 10 ml soy sauce, 10 ml mirin and 2 g salt. Avoid foam so the steamed surface stays silky.

   

3. 03

   Strain the egg

   Pass the egg mixture through a fine sieve into a jug. Skim any surface foam with a spoon; a fine strain gives the custard its clean, tender texture.

   

4. 04

   Prepare the mushrooms

   Trim the enoki root and separate the strands. Wipe the shiitake clean and slice it thinly. Pick the mitsuba leaves and tender stems into small pieces.

   

5. 05

   Fill the steaming cups

   Divide the shiitake and enoki among four heatproof cups, reserving a little mitsuba for the top. Pour the strained egg mixture over the mushrooms and add the remaining mitsuba.

   

6. 06

   Steam gently

   Preheat a steamer until the chamber is 85–90°C with steady but gentle steam. Cover each cup with its lid or foil, place them in the steamer, and cook for 12–15 minutes.

   

7. 07

   Check the egg safety

   Check the centre of the thickest cup with a clean thermometer. It must reach 74°C with no liquid egg; if needed, steam in one-minute increments while keeping the chamber below a hard boil.

   

8. 08

   Rest and serve warm

   Turn off the steamer and rest the covered cups for 2 minutes. Uncover and serve warm at about 65–70°C; the custard should tremble softly, not release liquid.