Recipe(tried): Eggy-Japanese Egg Custard Soup

Hi Eggy:

Now we're getting into "real" Japanese food territory!! :-) You'll never see this dish in mediocre Japanese restaurants -- this is what we eat at home and in top-notch restaurants.

The recipe is for 4 as side dishes, but I've halved this recipe to serve more or less as a "main" dish for 2-3 people. The difficult part about this dish is achieving the "right" proportion between eggs and dashi -- it can't be too runny or too hard. You can vary the ingredients -- snow peas, enoki mushrooms, unagi or anago (eel), chicken balls, tofu, bamboo shoots, udon noodles, different types of fish cakes, etc. I have yet to meet anybody from any part of the world who doesn't rave about chawan mushi when they taste it for the first time.

Chawan Mushi (Japanese Soft Egg Custard Soup)
Serves 4

3 large eggs
3-1/2 cups (approximate) dashi (smoked bonito stock)
80 grams filet of snapper, cod or some other light-colored fish (do NOT use salmon, yellowtail, mackarel or other "fatty" fish)
80 grams chicken breast, skin removed
4 medium shrimp, deveined (I usually use tiger shrimp)
4 fresh or re-hydrated shiitake mushrooms
60 grams kamaboko (steamed fish cake in half-moon shape)
8 gingko nuts
1 bunch mitsuba leaves and stem (this is an aromatic herb used in Japanese cuisine - cilantro is NOT an acceptable substitute - so when I can't get a hold of them, I substitute spinach)

1. Season the dashi stock with 1 tsp. salt, tsp. light (usukuchi) soy sauce, and 2-3 tsp. mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine) and/or sake (Japanese rice wine). Simmer for 1 minute and set aside.
2. Beat the eggs together (but don't overbeat), add them to the dashi mixture once the stock has cooled down to room temperature.
3. Pour the egg/dashi mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.
4. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, splash some soy sauce and sake ( to eliminate the "raw" odor), and set aside. Peel the shell from shrimp, sprinkle some salt and sake (also to eliminate odor) and set aside. Rinse the fish fillet in running water, dry, and slice into bite-sized pieces.
5. Remove stems from shiitake mushrooms, and halve or quarter them into smaller pieces. Slice kamaboko into 8 -inch pieces.
6. Blanch the mitsuba for 10 seconds, and set aside.
7. In each chawanmushi container (there is a specific Japanese crockery for this dish with tops, but I've used coffee mugs, tea cups, and small soup or rice bowls for this), place chicken and fish pieces, 2 slices of kamaboko, and 2 gingko nuts. Carefully pour the egg/dashi mixture; make sure that no air bubbles are left.
8. Carefully place the containers in a steamer with tops on (this is why the Japanese have special crockery - if you're using cups and bowls without tops, cover them in plastic wrap. This is so that the water from condensation won't fall into the egg mixture.) Steam on high heat for 2-3 minutes.
9. Reduce heat to medium, and steam for an additional 7-8 minutes. At this point, the "custard" should still be a bit runny. Add the shrimp and shiitake mushrooms (if you're using spinach, add them at this point); steam over low heat for another 4-5 minutes.
10. To determine if the dish is ready, poke a skewer or another sharp instrument into the "custard". If it comes out clean, remove the steamer from heat.
11. Add in the mitsuba herbs, replace the cover, and set aside for another 2-3 minutes.