ChawanMushi - Savory Egg Custard

This is a simple version of the Japanese appetizer, a savory egg custard with dashi stock, shitake mushrooms and shrimp. Generally this is made with gingko nuts, Kamaboko (Japanese fish cake), chicken  and Japanese celery and steamed in a tea bowl. I did not have some of these items, so I made mine with the simplest ingredients. This tasted still very yummy.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dashi stock
1 egg
2 shrimps
2 small slices of tofu
soy sauce (
2 shitake mushrooms
2 sprigs of cilantro
mirin
salt

Method:

I made my dashi stock from scratch using the shavings of katsuobushi - preserved, fermented bonito and kelp. You can buy the dashi granules from Asian stores and make 1/2 a cup of dashi stock.

Beat egg slightly and add the dashi stock. Add 1/2 tsp of soy sauce, 1/2 mirin and 1/4 tsp of salt. Strain  and set aside.

Cut mushroom into half. Season shrimp with a little of soy sauce and mirin.

Boil water in a pan that can hold two porcelain cups. Put a metal steaming basket in it. The water should come up to 1/2 the cup level. When the water boils reduce to a simmer. 

Also cover the lid to the steam pan with a towel. The water from the condensation will not fall into the custard.

Divide the tofu, mushrooms and the shrimp into the 2 porcelain cups. Then pour the egg mixture into the cups. 

Put the cups onto the steaming basket and cook it for 15 to 20 minutes. Insert a skewer to see if the custard has set. Remove and eat it cold or hot.