Crab Chawanmushi
A luxurious, silky smooth steamed savory egg custard topped with a thick, glossy crab meat gravy.
Course Sides & Appetizers
An Elegant Steamed Custard
Elevate the traditional savory egg custard (Chawanmushi) by topping it with a luxurious, thick, and glossy sauce made from sweet crab meat. This dish is silky, refined, and often served at high-end Kaiseki dinners.
Ingredients
- --- For the Custard: ---
- 2 large eggs
- 1.5 cups cooled dashi stock
- 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1/2 tsp mirin
- --- For the Crab Sauce (Ankake): ---
- 1/2 cup dashi stock
- 1/2 cup lump crab meat (or high-quality imitation crab)
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp potato starch (dissolved in 1 tbsp water)
Instructions
- Whisk the eggs gently without making foam. Stir in the cooled dashi, light soy sauce, and mirin. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into two heat-proof tea cups.
- Cover the cups with foil. Steam over medium-low heat for 12-15 minutes until the custard is softly set.
- While the custard steams, make the crab sauce: In a small saucepan, bring the 1/2 cup dashi and crab meat to a simmer. Add the light soy sauce.
- Stir the dissolved potato starch into the simmering crab broth until it thickens into a glossy, clear gravy.
- Carefully remove the steamed custard cups. Pour the hot, thick crab sauce directly over the top of the set custard before serving.
Keyword Appetizer, chawanmushi, crab, Egg, Elegant, Steamed