Chawan Mushi with Shrimp and Dungeness Crab

(Egg Custard with Shrimp and Dungeness Crab)

Serves 4

BOTH JAPANESE and Chinese have always enjoyed steamed savoury custards as part of their homemade meals. In China they are called jing dan and, in Japan, chawan mushi. The silky-smooth chawan mushi served at Tojo’s is loaded with elegant ingredients, including indigenous B.C. Dungeness crabmeat, shrimp and tobiko (flying fish roe).

This dish is traditionally made by steaming the ingredients in chawan mushi cups. If you do not have any, use small ramekins or heatproof teacups instead. Instead of steaming, you can place the cups in a bain-marie and cook them in a preheated 425°F oven for 30 minutes or until the custard is set.

3 oz chicken thigh meat, in ½-inch dice

1 Tbsp + ½ tsp light soy sauce

½ tsp sake

½ tsp sea salt

4 shrimp, peeled, deveined and halved

2 oz fresh enoki mushrooms

4 oz cooked Dungeness crabmeat, picked over for cartilage

4 to 8 ginkgo nuts, peeled

4 medium eggs

2½ cups dashi (see dashi) (or light chicken stock)

1 Tbsp mirin

1 tsp yuzu juice (optional)

1 tsp natural tobiko

IN A SMALL bowl, combine chicken, ½ tsp soy sauce and sake and allow to marinate for about 15 minutes. Drain off the excess liquid and set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water and sea salt to a boil on high heat. Add shrimp and blanch for 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to a colander and allow to drain. Set aside.

Trim and discard 1½ inches from bottom of mushrooms and separate by hand. Cut into 1-inch lengths.

In a wok fitted with a bamboo steamer or in a covered steamer, bring 4 to 5 cups water to a gentle boil on high heat. Among 4 chawan mushi cups, evenly divide chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, crabmeat and ginkgo nuts.

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Slowly stir in dashi (or chicken stock), 1 Tbsp soy sauce, ½ tsp salt and mirin. Using a small fine-mesh strainer, skim any foam or air bubbles from the surface and discard. Ladle the dashi mixture into the chawan mushi cups, leaving about ½ inch clear at the top. Place lids on chawan mushi cups (or, if using ramekins or teacups, tightly seal with industrial-strength plastic wrap or aluminum foil).

Arrange chawan mushi cups in the bamboo steamer or on the steamer rack. Tightly seal the steamer with a piece of aluminum foil or with the lid and steam for about 20 minutes on medium heat. (To test for doneness, insert a toothpick in the middle of the custard; if it comes out clean, the custard is ready.) Garnish each serving with a few drops of yuzu juice and ¼ tsp tobiko. Serve immediately.