Chawanmushi with Salmon Flakes

Silky, jiggly, and melt in your mouth 😳 chawanmushi is a savory Japanese steamed egg custard - very easy to make and you can customize the fillings, depending on what you have in the fridge. I added in salmon flakes but you can use mushrooms instead to keep it vegetarian!

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• For the salmon flakes:

  • 1 piece of salmon filet

  • 1 tbsp each of mirin, sake, and soy sauce

  • 2 tsps of mirin and soy sauce each

  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

• For egg custard:

• 1 egg

• 1/2 cup dashi

• 1/2 tsp mirin

• 2-4 thinly sliced carrot rounds

• 2 sprigs of cilantro or green onion

• 2 slices of kamaboko (fish cake)

Instructions:

• Marinate salmon with all the sauces in the fridge for 30 mins.

• Bake at 350 for 15-20 mins or until cooked through.

• Flake with a pair of forks then add to a non stick skillet and sauté.

• Add in 1-2 more tsps of mirin and soy sauce each and keep cooking until the flakes become crisp and browned.

• Lastly add in toasted sesame seeds for a little crunch.

• For the chawanmushi, beat together the egg, dashi, and mirin.

• To a small steam proof bowl, add the fillings at the bottom.

• Run your egg mixture through a sieve before pouring on top of the fillings.

• Knock out any air bubbles.

• Bring a pot of water to boil, then lower to simmer.

• Place your egg cup in and cover, letting it steam for 10 mins.

• Insert a skewer into the center to check if it’s done; if only clear liquid comes out, it’s done.