We find ourselves here, in the coldest, quietest, (arguably) bleakest season in our little village, with time to spare. It’s my favorite time of year for a few reasons: I get to sleep until I wake up, I get to read all the books that have been mocking me from the shelves all year, and I get to try things in the kitchen I’ve always wanted to try.
That said, there’s been a lot of staring into the abyss this week. The abyss is really having a moment.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how important the experience of collective joy is for the human brain — how it fills our cups and lets us meet challenges with a renewed sense of community — and about how distant the possibility of experiencing that feeling seems right now. If you, like me, feel a little bit like an exposed nerve ending when you think about the state of the world, please know you’re not alone. We’re in great company, blessedly as ever, here at the far end of the world.
My dad, who was well known for giving some championship-level good advice, always told me that if a problem felt too big and too overwhelming, it was probably because I was trying to think about too much of it all at once. You can’t solve a big picture without dealing with the minutiae of small decisions along the way. You can’t eat the whole plate at once. You have to take it one bite at a time. And if, say, each of those bites performs a magic trick that involves soup, you might even get to experience some small, singular joy along the way, which is why we’re going to talk about chawanmushi today.
Chawanmushi is the Japanese name for a savory steamed egg custard. It’s a dish that exists in lots of different cultures, but I just think “chawanmushi” is the most fun one to say. It’s basically seasoned beaten eggs, mixed with dashi (a seaweed-based stock) or broth, strained, then studded with little bits of things reminiscent of the best of times, like caramelized, soy-glazed shiitake mushrooms or cherry tomatoes, roasted to remind you of the summer ones.
It doesn’t escape me how silly it feels to urge everyone to run out and buy some eggs, given their current celebrity status as the most expensive thing at the grocery store. But this recipe turns one egg per person into something special, soothing, and novel, and I suspect we could use a hint of all three.
The first time I ate this dish, I was having lunch with my then-work wife in an impossibly bourgeois sushi bar in New York City. I didn’t really have any idea what I was getting into, but it sounded delicious. It was bliss every time I dipped my spoon into the smooth custard.
The magic happens when your spoon first breaks the top of the custard. As you scoop up tender bites, soup appears. The stock that was mixed with the eggs slowly starts to seep in through the cracks in the custard, warming every bite you take. The egg takes on the texture of the softest tofu you’ve ever tasted, and the little bits of extras are like finding buried treasure.
This, to me, has always seemed like an impossible magic trick, and I’ve assumed that meant it was very complicated to make. I’m delighted to tell you that it is actually quite simple and means you can deliver breakfast or lunch happiness to anyone you love (and even clean out the fridge a little at the same time). My version is adapted from Frankie Gaw’s wonderful Little Fat Boy recipe.
On a frigid day, a tiny, easily accessible, individual bowl of joy: our first step toward the collective version.
CHAWANMUSHI WITH MUSHROOMS AND ROASTED TOMATOES
Makes 2 servings
For the custard
2 whole eggs
1½ cups chicken or vegetable broth or dashi
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. mirin or sake (optional)
1 tsp. soy sauce or soy aminos
For the fillings
A few cremini or shiitake mushrooms
Leftover roasted tomatoes
Toasted sesame oil
Soy sauce
Rice wine or black vinegar
Toppings
Green onions, sliced
Toasted sesame seeds
- Prep your fillings. Thinly slice the mushrooms and sauté in a bit of sesame oil. Cook until soft and a little browned, about 2-3 minutes. When cooked, set aside and drizzle with a little soy sauce and rice wine vinegar.
- Make the egg mixture. In a small mixing bowl, crack open both eggs and scramble well. Add broth, salt, mirin or sake, and soy sauce or aminos to the egg and mix again until fully incorporated. Pour egg mixture through a thin mesh strainer into two small soup bowls. Stir your chosen fillings into the egg mixture, making sure to save some for the garnish.
- Steam the custards. If steaming is new to you, test before you begin to make sure both your bowls will fit in your steamer basket. Bring a wide pot of water to the boil, then lower the heat and place your steamer and the two bowls of chawanmushi over the water. Cover and steam on low for about 14-20 minutes (the size and shape of your bowl will change the steaming time slightly) until the egg has set, and the surface is smooth and jiggly.
- Garnish with toppings. Remove the bowls from the steamer and garnish with extra mushrooms (and whatever else you’ve got). Sprinkle on the sliced green onions and sesame seeds and serve right away.
