Chawanmushi with Scallop, Maitake, and Ikura

Chawanmushi is one of the great tests of restraint in Japanese cooking — a steamed egg custard that should be impossibly silky, barely set, and almost trembling in the bowl. It's a dish built entirely on texture and the quiet depth of good dashi. Topping it with a seared scallop, crispy maitake, and bright pops of ikura turns it into a first course that's stunning to look at and deeply satisfying to eat, with every spoonful offering something different.

How to cook

Everything here depends on the dashi, so start there and do it properly. Soak the kombu (10g) in 500ml of cold water for at least 30 minutes — longer is fine, even overnight in the fridge if you want to get ahead. Set the pot over medium heat and watch it carefully. You want to pull the kombu out just before the water reaches a boil — if the water boils with the kombu still in, it releases a slimy, bitter compound that muddies the flavour. Look for small bubbles forming on the surface of the kombu and wisps of steam; that's your cue. Remove the kombu, add the katsuobushi (15g), and take the pot off the heat entirely. Let it steep for exactly 5 minutes — no longer, or the dashi turns acrid. Strain through a fine sieve without pressing the bonito. You should have a clear, golden, gently smoky liquid. Measure out 400ml for the custard and reserve 100ml for the sauce.

Now the custard base. Crack the eggs (3) into a bowl and whisk them gently with chopsticks or a fork, using a side-to-side motion rather than a circular one. The goal is to break the eggs and combine them without whipping in any air — air bubbles are the enemy of smooth chawanmushi. Combine the dashi (400ml) with the usukuchi soy sauce (1 tablespoon), mirin (1 tablespoon), and salt (¼ teaspoon) and stir until dissolved. Pour this into the eggs and stir gently to combine. The ratio of egg to dashi is critical: 1 egg to roughly 130ml of liquid gives you a custard that barely holds together, which is exactly what you want.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug — this catches any chalazae (the stringy bits of egg white) and any bubbles you accidentally introduced. If there are still bubbles on the surface, skim them off with a spoon or hit them with a kitchen torch for a second. Every bubble you leave will become a crater in the finished custard.

Divide the custard evenly among 4 heatproof bowls or traditional chawan cups. Cover each one tightly with cling film or foil — this prevents condensation from dripping onto the surface and pockmarking it. Set them in a steamer over water that's already simmering, then reduce the heat to medium-low. This is the most important step: steam gently for 12-14 minutes. High heat is what ruins chawanmushi. If the water is at a rolling boil, the custard will bubble internally and turn porous and spongy — the texture of a bad hotel breakfast egg rather than the trembling silk you're after. You can crack the steamer lid slightly by wedging a chopstick under it to moderate the temperature. The custard is done when the centre wobbles gently like panna cotta when you tap the bowl — it should jiggle as one mass, not ripple like liquid. If in doubt, pull it early. It will continue to set for a minute after you remove it from the steamer, and a slightly underset chawanmushi is better than an overcooked one.

While the custard steams, prepare the toppings. Pat the scallops (4) aggressively dry with kitchen paper — moisture is what prevents a sear and gives you a steamed, grey scallop instead of a caramelised one. Heat the neutral oil (1 tablespoon) in a skillet over high heat until it's just starting to smoke. Lay the scallops in and do not touch them for 90 seconds. You want a deep golden crust — the kind you can hear crackling when you press it gently. Flip and sear the other side for another 90 seconds. The centre should still be translucent and cool — this is the sashimi-grade contrast that makes the dish. If you prefer them cooked through, add another 30 seconds per side, but you'll lose the textural magic. Rest them briefly on a plate.

In the same skillet, add the remaining oil (1 tablespoon) and butter (1 tablespoon). Once the butter foams, lay the maitake clusters (150g) in a single layer — don't crowd them or they'll steam. Leave them undisturbed for 2-3 minutes until the edges facing the pan are deeply golden, almost charred in spots. Maitake mushrooms have a lacy, petal-like structure that gets spectacularly crispy when seared hard, and that crisp is the textural counterpoint to the soft custard. Flip and cook for 1 minute more. Season with a small pinch of salt.

The sauce is simple — warm the reserved dashi (100ml) with the usukuchi soy sauce (2 teaspoons) and mirin (1 teaspoon) in a small saucepan. You're not reducing it, just warming it through and combining the flavours. It should taste like a refined, seasoned broth — light, savoury, and clean.

Bonus points

• Add uni: A small tongue of fresh uni (sea urchin) placed on the custard alongside the ikura turns this from a first course into something transcendent. Its creamy, briny sweetness melts into the warm custard.
• Use homemade dashi with shiitake: Add 3-4 dried shiitake to the kombu soak for a deeper, more umami-rich dashi. The mushroom amplifies the maitake on top and gives the custard a rounder, more complex base.
• Yuzu kosho finish: A tiny dot (½ teaspoon total, divided) of yuzu kosho on each plate adds a citrus-chili spark that cuts through the richness of the scallop and egg. Use green yuzu kosho for freshness, red for heat.
• Dashi butter for the scallops: After searing the scallops, deglaze the pan with 2 tablespoons of dashi and swirl in a tablespoon of cold butter. Spoon this over the seared scallops for a glossy, umami-rich finish.
• Crispy scallop roe: If your scallops come with the coral attached, separate it, pat dry, and fry in oil at 180°C for 30 seconds until puffed and crisp. Crumble over the finished dish for colour and a delicate crunch.
• Toast the ikura in soy: Marinate the ikura in a mixture of 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sake, and ½ tablespoon mirin for 30 minutes before serving. The seasoned roe has more depth than plain ikura straight from the jar.

Serving

Chawanmushi is served warm, not hot — the custard should be just above body temperature, which is when its texture is at its most silky and the flavours are most expressive.

Uncover the custards and compose each bowl directly on the surface. Slice each scallop in half horizontally so the seared crust and the translucent centre are both visible, and arrange the halves on the custard. Lean the seared maitake clusters against and around the scallop — let them stand up for height rather than lying flat. Spoon the ikura (about 10g per bowl) in a bright cluster to one side. Pour the warm dashi sauce very gently around the edge of the custard — pour against the side of the bowl and let it find its own level so it pools around the toppings without flooding them. Finish with mitsuba leaves or chervil fronds and, if you like a little heat, the lightest dusting of shichimi togarashi.

Serve with a small spoon so guests can scoop through every layer in one bite — crispy mushroom, sweet scallop, silky custard, warm broth, and a pop of ikura all at once.

For drinks, this is one of the rare dishes where sake is the only right answer. A junmai ginjo served slightly chilled — something clean and floral like a Dassai 45 or a Born Gold — lets the dashi and scallop sing without competition. If you must pour wine, a bone-dry Muscadet sur Lie has the salinity and restraint to stay out of the way.