Trufflethon 2009 Part 4 : Eggstremely Smooth

Chawanmushi is a savoury, dairy-less custard of Japanese origin. It is a dish that Ecumer is again mostly familiar with from Iron Chef repeats. Perhaps he doesn't get far enough down the menu at Japanese restaurants to find it; perhaps it is home cooking that isn't suited to a restaurant environment; perhaps it's just not to Australian tastes and does not get a look in. As a result Ecumer's experience with the dish is limited to those cooked by himself and by friends. Ecumer has done a version with asparagus and shiitake a few times previously but cannot find the recipe just now to attribute it.

Possibly one reason that chawanmushi is not displacing tatsuta age and yakisoba from Japanese restaurant top - 10 lists is its subtlety*. Good chawanmushi (to the best of Ecumer's knowledge) is an exercise in subtle differences. The custard should be light & silken, flavoured gently with mirin, vegetable or fish stock and a small touch of soy. The additional ingredients most often used are shiitake mushrooms, poached chicken, or asparagus, and their texture and flavour should gently add to the dish without overpowering the custard base. The dish is steamed or cooked in the oven in a bain-marie so everything is soft and gentle.

* A more likely reason is that it takes 20-30 minutes to cook from scratch, which is a long time in any kitchen.  Ecumer cherishes fond hopes that reputable Japanese chefs are above nasty tricks like parcooking.

Cardinal Jay produced a corker of a chawanmushi for us that afternoon. His was smooth, light & silken (Ecumer's are a little bit firmer - Ecumer is probably overcooking a tad); the flavouring ingredients were shiitake & truffle shavings; enoki may also have been involved but Jay's recipe is not specific. A small garnish of shredded spring onion provided crunch and contrast; wine was consumed and the dish was well recieved.

The recipe is reconstructed from his handwritten notes that Ecumer pinched salvaged.  Any discrepancies between the recipe and the dish are due to Cardinal Jay's improvisational skills vs Ecumer's memory skills - hardly a fair match.

Cardinal Jay's Chawanmushi (serves 8)


16 eggs
8 cups stock (vegetable, shitake or chicken depending on your tastes)
3 tsp salt
5 tsp soy sauce
3 tsp sugar
3 tsp sake
3 tsp mirin
Shitake mushrooms
Enoki mushrooms
Truffle (thin shaved)
Sesame oil
Spring onions, some sliced into small rounds on the bias, some shredded as a garnish

Lightly beat the eggs
Add the stock (cold), soy, salt, sake, mirin and a few drops of sesame oil
Mix and then strain
Fill ramekins about 2/3 full with mixture
Place a slice of truffle, some mushrooms and some of the sliced spring onions on top of the mixture
Cover each ramekin with foil (or baking paper held down with a rubber band)
Cook in a steamer on low heat for 15-20 minutes or in a bain-marie in a low (120 C) preheated oven for about 25 min
Check for doneness by poking with a skewer; if the skewer is clean and uncoated when withdrawn, the custard is cooked
Serve garnished with shredded spring onions