3-in-1 Steamed Custard: Toddler food, comfort food and dinner party headliner
Over the years, I’ve simplified my culinary style. Back when I worked from home and had no children, it was possible to indulge in convoluted recipes that took days on end to execute and required traipsing across town to acquire specialist ingredients for. I still love those recipes and appreciate the hard-to-find ingredients, but frankly I just don’t have the time nor bandwidth to make those dishes right now. These days, I tend to prize simplicity of technique. And if I can order my ingredients online and have them delivered, I will.
I believe that when we master foundational techniques we are freed to experiment with flavour and flavour combinations. Simple techniques don’t necessarily limit us to simple dishes.
This recipe (which is an update of one of our most popular posts) is a prime example. Once you master the fundamentals of a steamed custard, playing with the type of liquid you use in the custard as well the ingredients you place in or over it presents you with endless possibilities.
I first started out with our family favourite, minced pork and salted yolk custard, a dish both Aun and I grew up eating. It’s a dish Aun is happy to have weekly with rice and some napa cabbage stir-fried with dried shrimp and garlic, so over the year’s I’ve worked this recipe down to a science. What I value in a well-prepared custard (apart from its taste) is its smooth, barely set texture. There should be a hint of a wobble when you jiggle it.
I feel that the 100ml liquid to one 60g egg ratio in this recipe helps achieve that oftentimes illusive silken texture. But of late, this ratio has been resulting in custard with an interior (not its surface) pockmarked with bubbles, which drives me insane. I’ve read that a 1:3 ratio of beaten egg to stock is ideal. But when I combine a beaten 60g egg with 150ml stock, the custard is almost watery. So, if you don’t care that your custard has bubbles, go with 100ml stock to one egg. If it bothers you like it does me, I suggest a compromise of 125 to 150ml stock depending on the volume of your beaten egg.
By substituting the chicken stock with unsweetened soy milk, this dish is transformed into an egg tofu. I frequently replace the minced pork filling with fish and vegetables, transforming it into a toddler friendly dish that my 5-year-old son continues to enjoy with a bowlful of hot rice.
Use dashi, and you have a chawanmushi. I used to make dashi from scratch using bonito flakes and pieces of dried kombu. These days, I opt for convenient bags (that work like teabags) filled with all natural ingredients such as bonito, sardine, kombu and shiitake which I just steep in simmering water for a couple of minutes. Feel free to use whichever you prefer. But if you choose to use dashi granules (which only need to be dissolved in hot water), you might want to adjust the seasoning as they can be a little saltier.
For dinner parties, I use smaller portions of custard since we serve this dish on its own, pop in a couple of cooked ginkgo nuts then steam it. Pair it with as much uni and ikura as your budget allows (alternatively, use cooked or sashimi grade prawns), drizzle with a thickened dashi sauce, top with some grated lime or yuzu zest and this simple custard becomes a luxurious treat.
In this instance, we brushed the uni with a sugar and soy glaze before flaming it briefly with a butane torch, then garnished it with some Japanese chives. But it isn’t essential. And we use 250ml capacity heatproof egg coddlers for individual portions, but feel free to use your preferred receptacle. All the recipes below make 2 portions, simply multiply the quantities to suit the number of portions you require.
I’d be thrilled to hear about the variations you create using this master savoury custard recipe.
Steamed Savoury Custard
Minced pork & salted yolk custard
(Makes 2)
60g minced pork
1/2 tsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp Shaoxing wine
1/4 tsp dark sesame oil
freshly ground pepper to taste
vegetable oil for cooking
1 tbsp finely chopped shallots
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1-2 salted yolks, quartered
2 large (60g) eggs
200-250ml chicken stock
sea salt, to taste
light soy sauce, to taste
dark sesame oil, to taste
1/2 tbs chopped spring onions, green part only
Toddler’s fish & soy milk custard
(Makes 2)
100g boneless sea bass or other fish fillet, diced (but not too finely or it will get overcooked)
2 tbsp minced baby spinach leaves
2 tbsp finely diced carrot or pumpkin
2 large (60g) eggs
200-250ml unsweetened soy milk
sea salt, to taste
Uni & ikura chawanmushi
(Makes 2)
6-8 cooked ginkgo nuts
1 large (60g) egg
100-125ml dashi made using your preferred recipe or following the instructions on the package
sea salt, to taste
2 tbs uni
3 tbs ikura
zest of sudachi lime
Thickened dashi sauce
(Makes enough for 6-8)
1 dashi bag
125ml water
1 1/2tsp potato flour combined with 1 1/2tsp water to make a slurry
sugar to taste
freshly squeezed sudachi lime juice to taste
Directions
To make minced pork & salted yolk custard, marinate the minced pork with light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and ground pepper. Stir to combine and refrigerate until ready to use.
Heat some oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the shallots. Fry until translucent and aromatic (reduce the heat if necessary to prevent it from scorching). Next, add the garlic. Continue to fry until the garlic also releases its aroma. Add the marinated minced pork and fry just enough to brown the meat a little. Do not cook it through entirely otherwise the meat will be tough and overcooked after it has been steamed.
Divide the minced pork equally between 2 heatproof containers. Sprinkle the pieces of salted yolk over the pork (adjust quantities to taste).
When ready to serve, pour enough water into a large pot to come 1-inch from the base. Insert a steaming rack, cover and bring the water to a boil. Alternatively, use a combi-steam oven set at 100° Celsius and 100% humidity.
Crack eggs into a pouring jug. Gently stir the eggs with a pair of chopsticks just to break up the yolks but do not whisk vigorously. Add between 200-250ml chicken stock (please see explanatory text in blogpost) and season with a pinch of salt if needed. Again, gently stir with chopsticks just enough to combine the ingredients.
Using a fine meshed sieve, sieve the egg mixture into the containers, dividing it equally. There may be some excess mixture. Cover with aluminum foil or lid. Place in prepared pot, reduce water to a simmer and steam for 25-30min (22 minutes in a combi-steam oven) or until custard is just set.
Remove from steamer, uncover and pour equal parts sesame oil and light soy sauce over the custard. Garnish with spring onions and serve hot.
To make toddler’s fish & soymilk custard, season fish to taste if required. I usually don’t. Divide fish, spinach and carrot/pumpkin equally between 2 heatproof containers.
When ready to serve, pour enough water into a large pot to come 1-inch from the base. Insert a steaming rack, cover and bring the water to a boil. Alternatively, use a combi-steam oven set at 100° Celsius and 100% humidity.
Crack eggs into a pouring jug. Gently stir the egg with a pair of chopsticks just to break up the yolks but do not whisk vigorously. Add between 200-250ml unsweetened soy milk (please see explanatory text in blogpost) and season with a pinch of salt if needed. Again, gently stir with chopsticks just enough to combine the ingredients.
Using a fine meshed sieve, sieve the egg mixture into the containers. There may be some excess mixture. Cover with aluminum foil or lid. Place in prepared pot, reduce water to a simmer and steam for 25-30min (22 minutes in a combi-steam oven) or until custard is just set.
Let the custard cool a little before serving to a young child as it will be very hot.
To make uni & ikura chawanmushi add 3-4 cooked ginkgo into each heat proof container.
When ready to serve, pour enough water into a large pot to come 1-inch from the base. Insert a steaming rack, cover and bring the water to a boil. Alternatively, use a combi-steam oven set at 100° Celsius and 100% humidity.
Crack egg into a pouring jug. Gently stir the egg with a pair of chopsticks just to break up the yolk but do not whisk vigorously. Add between 100-125ml dashi (please see explanatory text in blogpost) and season with a pinch of salt if needed. Again, gently stir with chopsticks just enough to combine the ingredients.
Using a fine meshed sieve, sieve the egg mixture into the containers. Cover with aluminum foil or lid. Place in prepared pot, reduce water to a simmer and steam for 25-30min (22 minutes in a combi-steam oven) or until custard is just set.
In the meantime, prepare thickened dashi sauce. Bring 125ml water to a boil, insert dashi bag and simmer for 2 min. Add potato flour slurry to thicken, remove from heat, adjust seasoning with sugar and freshly squeezed lime juice to taste if necessary. If the slurry gets too thick, you may thin it out by stirring some hot water into it.
Remove custards from steamer. Top with some thickened dashi sauce, ikura, then some uni. Garnish with grated sudachi lime zest and serve.
About Su-Lyn Tan
Su-Lyn is Aun's better half and for many years, the secret Editor behind this blog known to readers simply as S. Su-Lyn is an obsessive cook and critical eater whose two favourite pastimes are spending time with her three kids and spending time in the kitchen. She looks forward to combining the two in the years to come.
