Tips for making chawan mushi?
 

I fell in love with chawan mushi at Medori's Floating World Cafe in
Minneapolis. I'm going to try to make it myself, I usually don't attemp
delicate foods. I'm a good but rough cook. I have a recipe, fyi it's
basically a custard made with dashi and eggs. You can put little good things
in it like fish or scallions, but not much. I'm making the dashi from scratch.
I don't have the special ramekins so I'll use mugs and cover with foil, put in
a pan with boiling water, and bake in oven (all per recipe from Ming Tsai's
home page).

So any tips on this careful and involved process? or favorite dashi ratios?
Or favorite brands of bonito flakes (I already bought them but I'll take it
under advisement).
thanks -
Erica

Tips for making chawan mushi?
 

I've never cooked my chawa mushi in a bain marie. I've always steamed it
uncovered in a bamboo steamer or used an egg coddler with a lid and simmered
in water. It is a great breakfast dish. I'll have to try the oven method.

Lob

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"Naughyde" > wrote in message
...
> I fell in love with chawan mushi at Medori's Floating World Cafe in
> Minneapolis. I'm going to try to make it myself, I usually don't attemp
> delicate foods. I'm a good but rough cook. I have a recipe, fyi it's
> basically a custard made with dashi and eggs. You can put little good
things
> in it like fish or scallions, but not much. I'm making the dashi from
scratch.
> I don't have the special ramekins so I'll use mugs and cover with foil,
put in
> a pan with boiling water, and bake in oven (all per recipe from Ming
Tsai's
> home page).
>
> So any tips on this careful and involved process? or favorite dashi
ratios?
> Or favorite brands of bonito flakes (I already bought them but I'll take
it
> under advisement).
> thanks -
> Erica

I'm new to this newsgroup, so this reply is a bit late - I don't use
scallions for this dish...

Here's what I generally put in:

chicken morsels
shrimp (shelled)
shiitake mushroom*
slice of kamaboko (fish cake)

The following ingredients are used also, but it's difficult to obtain them.
You may find them at China Town if there's one relatively close to where you
live.

mitsuba
gingko nut
yuzu (little lime slivers without the white, can be used as a substitute)

*Dried Shiitake should be soaked in water with a pinch of sugar, and soaked
for at least overnight; I try to break most of the tiny bubbles that form at
the rim of the cup with chopsticks. I steam them on the stove top with
cheesecloth wrapped around the cover.

As for dashi, I just use the Hon-Dashi brand (powdered). For scratch, dashi
ratio for me may be something like 3 cups water to 5 g bonito flakes, and 2"
square of konbu kelp... I usually eye and taste it. I absolutely love
chawan-mushi. It reminds me of my late grandmother ... unfortunately, none
of us thought to ask what her recipe was!

~ Jayde



"Naughyde" > wrote in message
...
| I fell in love with chawan mushi at Medori's Floating World Cafe in
| Minneapolis. I'm going to try to make it myself, I usually don't attemp
| delicate foods. I'm a good but rough cook. I have a recipe, fyi it's
| basically a custard made with dashi and eggs. You can put little good
things
| in it like fish or scallions, but not much. I'm making the dashi from
scratch.
| I don't have the special ramekins so I'll use mugs and cover with foil,
put in
| a pan with boiling water, and bake in oven (all per recipe from Ming
Tsai's
| home page).
|
| So any tips on this careful and involved process? or favorite dashi
ratios?
| Or favorite brands of bonito flakes (I already bought them but I'll take
it
| under advisement).
| thanks -
| Erica

I'm new to this newsgroup, so this reply is a bit late - I don't use
scallions for this dish...

Here's what I generally put in:

chicken morsels
shrimp (shelled)
shiitake mushroom*
slice of kamaboko (fish cake)

The following ingredients are used also, but it's difficult to obtain them.
You may find them at China Town if there's one relatively close to where you
live.

mitsuba
gingko nut
yuzu (little lime slivers without the white, can be used as a substitute)

*Dried Shiitake should be soaked in water with a pinch of sugar, and soaked
for at least overnight; I try to break most of the tiny bubbles that form at
the rim of the cup with chopsticks. I steam them on the stove top with
cheesecloth wrapped around the cover.

As for dashi, I just use the Hon-Dashi brand (powdered). For scratch, dashi
ratio for me may be something like 3 cups water to 5 g bonito flakes, and 2"
square of konbu kelp... I usually eye and taste it. I absolutely love
chawan-mushi. It reminds me of my late grandmother ... unfortunately, none
of us thought to ask what her recipe was!

~ Jayde



"Naughyde" > wrote in message
...
| I fell in love with chawan mushi at Medori's Floating World Cafe in
| Minneapolis. I'm going to try to make it myself, I usually don't attemp
| delicate foods. I'm a good but rough cook. I have a recipe, fyi it's
| basically a custard made with dashi and eggs. You can put little good
things
| in it like fish or scallions, but not much. I'm making the dashi from
scratch.
| I don't have the special ramekins so I'll use mugs and cover with foil,
put in
| a pan with boiling water, and bake in oven (all per recipe from Ming
Tsai's
| home page).
|
| So any tips on this careful and involved process? or favorite dashi
ratios?
| Or favorite brands of bonito flakes (I already bought them but I'll take
it
| under advisement).
| thanks -
| Erica