Savory Steamed Egg Custard / Zheng Dan/ Chawanmushi
Another recipe out of my childhood, this is one of my (and my dad’s) favorite dishes. My mom told me when she and my dad first married, she knew how much he liked steamed egg, but because of the lack of the internet (recipes were not so easy to come by thirty odd years ago!) she made bowl after bowl of it, failing one after the other until she finally got it right.
Her steamed egg is a thing of dreams, silky smooth, just set like the softest tofu but with a deliciously eggy flavor. A bowl of white rice and a dash of soy sauce is all I need. While you can do it with water, using chicken broth makes it even better. The Japanese version (chawanmushi) has luscious pieces of seafood, vegetables, gingko, or chicken nestled within.
I’ve failed several times before, but in recent times it’s become a bit foolproof with my electric Vobaga egg steamer. I’ve been recommending it to everyone not just for its egg steaming abilities, but because it makes perfect hardboiled, medium boiled, soft boiled, and poached eggs. Simple enough to operate, you control how long it steams for by adjusting the water content. It’s also insanely adorable (and comes in several colors) and reheats food quickly (I have stainless steel bowls along with its accessories).
It’s important to incorporate the broth/water in a slow stream, and you can filter out the egg chalazae (the white semi solids in a raw egg) if you want it extra smooth by running it through a sieve. Be careful about beating in too much air, I usually gently tap the bowl against the table a few times before steaming.
The liquid ratio is pretty forgiving in that a little more or a little less will only affect how firm it is. The Japanese style uses dashi and sake, but my first love will always be the simple version. If you use a duck egg, you’ll need to increase the liquid content by 1/4 cup.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or water (with a pinch of salt, if using plain water)
- Ceramic cup or bowl
- Optional: Diced chicken, clam, squid, scallop, white fish, ginkgo, sea urchin, fish cake (kamaboko), edamame, sliced carrot, shiitake mushroom, mitsuba parsley, soy sauce
- Arrange optional additions in the bottom of a ceramic bowl/cup if using. In another bowl, add water or broth in a steady trickle while beating the egg until well incorporated.
- Pour egg mixture into ceramic bowl, through a sieve if you prefer to have it extra smooth. Gently tap the bowl/cup bottom against the table to release any trapped air.
- Using a preheated steamer (over a pot) on medium low heat, steam for 7 – 10 minutes, or until the egg has just set. Over-steaming will cause it to develop hard bubbles. Alternatively, using the egg steamer, steam for 4-5 minutes.
- Serve with rice and soy sauce, if using.