Recipe Highlights
Chawanmushi is certainly one of my son’s favourite appetizers at Japanese eating places, and truthfully, the selfmade model is simply nearly as good. It’s surprisingly simple to tug off—good for dinner events and quiet household meals alike.
My fundamental model begins with dashi-seasoned egg custard nestled with hen, mushrooms, and greens, however you may customise it with seasonal components or make it vegetarian.
Right here’s why I hold coming again to this recipe:
- Silky-smooth custard with delicate, umami-rich taste
- Solely 20 minutes of steaming—no particular gear wanted
- Simple to make vegetarian with a couple of easy swaps
Should you love this chawanmushi recipe, attempt my Immediate Pot Chawanmushi, Chawanmushi with Shrimp, and Matsutake Chawanmushi, subsequent!
What’s Chawanmushi?
Chawanmushi (茶碗蒸し) actually interprets to ‘teacup steamed egg custard.’
The dish traces its roots to shippoku (卓袱) banquet delicacies in Nagasaki—a singular mix of Japanese, Chinese language, and European-influenced cooking that emerged through the Edo interval (1603–1868).
In the present day, chawanmushi seems all over the place from kaiseki ryori eating places to residence kitchens.
Elements for Chawanmushi
- hen tenders – or use hen breast/thighs
- kamaboko fish cake
- shimeji mushrooms
- mitsuba (Japanese parsley) or inexperienced onion
- ginkgo nuts – non-compulsory
For the Custard
- massive eggs
- dashi (Japanese soup inventory)
- seasonings – soy sauce, mirin, sake, and salt
Discover the printable recipe with measurements under.
How you can Make Chawanmushi (Japanese Steamed Egg Custard)
- Prep the components. Reduce the hen and marinate with sake for 10 minutes. Slice the kamaboko and mushrooms. Knot the mitsuba stems or slice the inexperienced onions.
- Make the custard. Mix eggs, dashi, mirin, soy sauce, and salt in a bowl. Whisk till blended. Pressure by way of a fine-mesh sieve.
- Assemble the cups. Layer fillings equally. Pour the egg combination into the cups till 80% full. Take away any air bubbles.
- Steam. Set the cups in a big pot with sizzling water reaching midway up the perimeters. Cowl every cup with its lid or foil. Relaxation the pot lid barely ajar. Steam on the bottom warmth for 20 minutes.
- Serve. Eat whereas sizzling with a small spoon.
Nami’s Recipe Ideas
These easy ideas will show you how to make Chawanmushi completely each time.
- Use a 1:2.5 egg-to-dashi ratio – I exploit this as an alternative of the usual 1:3 for a richer custard.
- Make your personal dashi inventory – Dashi defines chawanmushi’s taste, so I extremely suggest utilizing good high quality inventory. Use a helpful dashi packet or comply with my How you can Make Dashi information to make it from scratch.
- Use usukuchi soy sauce – This light-colored soy sauce retains the custard pale and delicate.
- Carry components to room temperature first – Chilly fillings could cause uneven cooking and have an effect on the custard’s set.
- Pressure the egg combination – For a velvety texture, I move the crushed custard combination by way of a fine-mesh sieve.
- Use a sizzling water bathtub – I like to recommend this stovetop methodology as a result of it’s simple for newcomers and solely requires a big pot.
Variations
Seeking to change issues up? Listed here are a couple of methods to make this dish your personal.
- Use seasonal components. Shrimp, fish, and different greens are frequent variations primarily based on what’s recent and in season.
- Strive a special fish cake. As a substitute of kamaboko, attempt tube-shaped chikuwa or pink-swirled narutomaki.
- Make it vegetarian. Use extra greens and mushrooms as an alternative of hen and fish cake, and change to Vegan Dashi.
- Use a steamer basket or oven. For a steamer, wrap the lid with a kitchen towel to forestall condensation from dripping into the custard. For an oven, place lined cups in a roasting pan with 1 inch of boiling water at 350°F (180°C).
- Swap the mushrooms. Strive enoki, maitake, or shiitake mushrooms.
- Strive totally different veggies. Snow peas, carrots, spinach, and different leafy greens are colourful choices. Blanch firmer greens like carrots earlier than including to the chawanmushi.
What to Serve with Chawanmushi
Chawanmushi makes an exquisite Japanese appetizer. Listed here are my favourite pairings:
Storage and Reheating Ideas
To retailer: Hold leftovers of their cups and refrigerate for as much as 2 days.
To reheat: Steam for two–3 minutes or till warmed by way of. Keep away from the microwave–it should break the custard’s silky texture.
FAQs
What cups can I exploit for chawanmushi?
Conventional chawanmushi cups work greatest. You should purchase my favorites on JOC Items! You too can use heat-resistant ramekins, small bowls, or mugs. Keep away from very thick cups for the reason that warmth gained’t penetrate them as nicely.
Can I make chawanmushi with out a steamer?
No particular gear is required for my chawan mushi recipe. Use a daily pot on the range, bake in a sizzling water bathtub within the oven, or make it in an Immediate Pot.
Why did my chawanmushi come out bubbly or spongy?
This texture means the custard cooked too quick or at too excessive a temperature. To keep away from this, steam gently, aiming for 176–194°F (80–90°C), and go away the pot lid barely ajar. Straining your egg combination additionally helps.
Can I make chawanmushi forward of time?
Chawanmushi is greatest served sizzling. However you may put together all the things forward of time and steam simply earlier than serving.
I’d love to listen to how yours turned out! 💛 Please go away a star ranking and remark under to share your expertise. Your suggestions not solely helps Simply One Cookbook but in addition helps different residence cooks uncover recipes they will belief.
Chawanmushi (Japanese Savory Steamed Egg Custard)
To Put together the Elements
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Reduce 2 hen tenders into ½-inch (1.3 cm) items. Place in a bowl, add 1 Tbsp sake, and marinate for 10 minutes.
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Reduce 8 slices kamaboko (fish cake) thinly. Trim the roots from 1.8 oz shimeji (brown beech) mushrooms and separate them into small clusters.
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Loosely knot every stem of the 4 sprigs mitsuba (Japanese parsley). Alternatively, thinly slice the inexperienced onion if utilizing as an alternative.
To Put together the Sizzling Water Tub
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Place the chawanmushi cups in a big pot and add sufficient water to achieve midway up the perimeters. Take away the cups, cowl the pot, and produce to a boil. Flip off the warmth.
To Steam the Chawanmushi
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Carry the pot of water again to a boil, then scale back to the bottom warmth. Hold the water between 176–194ºF (80–90ºC) all through steaming. Fastidiously decrease the cups into the water, cowl with their lids, and set the pot lid barely ajar. Steam for 20 minutes, or quarter-hour in case you omitted the hen.Nami’s Tip: Monitor intently—cup sizes and thickness have an effect on prepare dinner time. Don’t let the water boil, or the custard will flip tough and pitted as an alternative of silky {smooth}.
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Check doneness by inserting a skewer into the middle: clear liquid means it is prepared. Tilt to substantiate the custard is ready all through, then rigorously raise the cups from the water.Nami’s Tip: I eliminated the lids first and lifted out the cups with a sizzling plate gripper.
Energy: 96kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 11g, Fats: 4g, Saturated Fats: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g, Monounsaturated Fats: 2g, Trans Fats: 0.02g, Ldl cholesterol: 157mg, Sodium: 397mg, Potassium: 195mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 211IU, Vitamin C: 0.4mg, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 1mg
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Editor’s Be aware: This publish was initially printed on September 7, 2011, up to date on October 2, 2022, with new photographs and a revised recipe, and republished on April 25, 2026, with up to date content material.
