Monica’s Chawanmushi
Growing up, mom cooked every meal. This savory steamed egg dish would be a quick but comforting breakfast served with a side of cut fruit – another Asian mom love language. She would also prepare it as an after school snack for me to eat with my Flaming Hot Cheetos or shrimp chips as I watched TV. This dish is so elegant looking yet deceptively easy to make. I still eat it with shrimp chips as an homage to my youth.
Monica’s Chawanmushi
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup dashi stock
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp mirin
Pinch of sea salt
Beech mushrooms, to garnish
Uni, to garnish, optional
Cannabis leaves, to garnish, optional
Green onions, to garnish
Potli Chili Oil, optional
Potli Shrimp Chips, optional
Directions
- Add eggs in a bowl and gently whisk with chopsticks, making sure the mixture does not get frothy.
- In a separate bowl, mix together dashi stock, soy sauce, mirin, and a pinch of salt. Slowly pour into the egg mixture while whisking with chopsticks until uniform. Pass this mixture through a fine-mesh sieve for a smoother texture.
- Gently fill 4 small serving cups with the egg mixture, making sure to not create any bubbles. Cover the bowls with foil.
- Preheat your steamer with an inch of water. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and place the cups into the steamer. Cover and steam for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add the mushrooms on top of the steamed egg, cover, and steam for another 3-5 minutes. The texture should resemble silken tofu.
- Remove from heat and garnish with the optional uni, cannabis leaves, green onions, and chili oil. Enjoy using shrimp chips as a spoon.
Photo credit: Monica Lo @sousweed