Chawanmushi
茶碗蒸し
A silky savoury egg custard set with dashi in a lidded cup, hiding chicken, prawn, shiitake and fish cake. Steamed gently in a pot; no steamer needed.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: 茶碗蒸し.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Chawanmushi is a savoury egg custard steamed in a lidded cup, so soft it is eaten with a spoon. The ratio is the recipe: one part egg to three parts dashi by volume, seasoned lightly with soy sauce, mirin and salt, then strained so it sets smooth. Small things hide at the bottom: a piece of chicken, a prawn, a slice of shiitake and a disc of fish cake. The steam has to stay gentle. Too hot and the custard fills with holes and weeps; at the right heat it wobbles like silken tofu and tastes mostly of dashi. You do not need a steamer. A wide pot with a cloth on the bottom does the job.
What you'll need
10 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Custard
- Fillings
Ingredients
Custard
Fillings
- Chicken, boneless thigh, in 8 small pieces80 g
- Prawn, peeled and deveined4
- Mushrooms, shiitake, stems off, sliced2
- Japanese fish cake, kamaboko, 4 slices40 g
- Spring onion, green part only, finely sliced, or mitsuba leaves1
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Divide the chicken, prawns, shiitake and fish cake between four heatproof cups of about 180 ml.
5 min
Step 2
Beat the eggs gently with chopsticks, cutting through the whites rather than whisking in air. Stir in the cooled dashi, soy sauce, mirin and salt, then pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug.
5 min
Tip: Measure by volume: the egg should be a third of the dashi. Weaker sets too soft; stronger sets firm and rubbery.
Step 3
Pour the custard over the fillings and pop any bubbles on the surface with a toothpick. Cover each cup with its lid or a square of foil.
3 min
Step 4
Fold a tea towel into the bottom of a wide lidded pot, add 2 cm of water and bring to the boil. Stand the cups on the towel, wrap the pot lid in another tea towel so drips do not fall on the custard, and cover, wedging a chopstick under the lid to leave a gap.
5 min
Step 5
Steam 2 minutes on high, then turn the heat to low and steam 12 to 15 minutes more. It is done when the centre wobbles in one piece and a skewer pushed in brings up clear liquid, not raw egg.
16 min
Watch: If the water boils hard, the custard fills with holes. Keep it at a quiet bubble.
Step 6
Lift out the cups with a cloth, scatter the spring onion over the top and serve hot with spoons.
1 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 125 kcal
- Protein
- 16.9 g
- Carbs
- 2.5 g
- Fat
- 5.1 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.5 g
- Fibre
- 0.2 g
- Sugar
- 1.1 g
- Sodium
- 734 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Eggs
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Soy
- Wheat
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 11 November.
Substitutions
Dashi → Light, unsalted chicken stock
The taste moves towards Chinese steamed egg, which is a fine thing. Cut the salt if the stock is seasoned.
Tips
- Chicken thigh stays juicy in the custard. Breast goes dry and stringy in the same time.
- Leftover custard mixture makes a plain cup for the cook. It is the best one.
History & culture
It is served as one course of a kaiseki meal, at sushi restaurants and on ordinary family tables, usually hot and sometimes chilled in summer. Hosts like it because the cups can be filled ahead and steamed at the last minute, and it is soft enough for small children and grandparents at the same table.
Steamed egg dishes are usually said to have reached Japan through Nagasaki, where Chinese and Portuguese traders shaped the local cooking from the 16th century. Nagasaki's shippoku banquets served an early chawanmushi, and one Nagasaki restaurant, Yossou, has specialised in it since the 1860s. The name simply means steamed in a teacup.
Traditional — Ginkgo nuts and mitsuba, a Japanese parsley, are the classic additions; both are hard to find abroad, so spring onion stands in for the mitsuba and the ginkgo is left out. Proper chawanmushi cups have lids; ramekins covered with foil work the same.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Chawanmushi take?
40 min all in — 20 min prep, 20 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 cups. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Eggs, Fish, Shellfish, Soy, Wheat. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Nut-free.
10 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Dutch oven, Mixing bowl, Timer.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at ½ tsp.
How much soy sauce?
1 tsp (light soy if you have it) of Soy sauce.
How much mirin?
1 tsp of Mirin.
What can I use instead?
Dashi → Light, unsalted chicken stock. The taste moves towards Chinese steamed egg, which is a fine thing. Cut the salt if the stock is seasoned.
What should I watch for?
If the water boils hard, the custard fills with holes. Keep it at a quiet bubble.
Any tips from this recipe?
Chicken thigh stays juicy in the custard. Breast goes dry and stringy in the same time. Leftover custard mixture makes a plain cup for the cook. It is the best one.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Leftover custard mixture makes a plain cup for the cook. It is the best one.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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