Chawan-mushi is a steamed egg custard, and the most popular, unique Japanese food.
Chawan literally means a ceramic bowl, and mushi means to steam. Eggs and fish broth are mixed well and strained. Then, it is poured into a bowl with several ingredients such as shrimp, chicken, fish cake, mushroom, and ginkgo nuts. It is steamed for twenty to thirty minutes and then served. Cooking chawan-mushi is difficult. If it is not steamed long enough, it becomes watery like soup; if too long, it becomes hard like boiled eggs. Chawan-mushi is a touchstone at Izakaya and sushi shops.
Chawan-mushi is so soft that it is eaten with a spoon, not chopsticks. Its texture is very smooth and fine, then it melts on your tongue quickly. The smell of dashi, fish broth, is mouthwatering and you can also enjoy the different types of taste of each ingredient. Especially, the bitterness of gingko nuts enrich the taste.
