December 26, 2021

Chawan-mushi, steamed savory custard

Chawan-mushi. Steamed, savory custard. 茶碗蒸し、ちゃわんむし

Literally, "steamed (mushi) in a tea bowl (chawan)." Usually served in special china cups with lids and eaten with a spoon. Normally served warm, in summer it has sometimes been cooled. Unlike many other custards, it is usually eaten as a dish in a meal, as it contains savory rather than sweet ingredients.


[Chawan-mushi]

The custard consists of an egg mixture flavored with soy sauce, dashi, and mirin, with numerous ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, kamaboko, ginkgo nuts, thin slices of yuzu and mitsuba, and boiled shrimp, placed into a tea-cup-like container. Since egg custard cannot be picked up by chopsticks, it is one of the few Japanese dishes that is eaten with a small spoon.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Japanese Food Dictionary