Chicken Chawanmushi in Jars

📝 Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1 tsp dashi powder (3 g) + 450 ml hot water
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (1 tsp for the chicken, 2 tsp for the egg custard)
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 160 g chicken breast (1 small fillet)
• 80 g button mushrooms (4 medium mushrooms)
• 60 g frozen shelled edamame
• 1 spring onion
• 1 tsp sesame oil (to serve)
• Salt

🍴 Utensils

• Large saucepan with lid
• 4 glass jars of about 300 ml
• Large bowl
• Fork
• Fine sieve
• Clean tea towel

📖 Steps

1. Dissolve the dashi powder in the 450 ml hot water, add 2 tsp soy sauce, the sugar and a pinch of salt, stir, then leave to cool slightly for 10 minutes: stock that is too hot would cook the eggs as soon as they are combined.
2. Cut the chicken breast into small 1 cm dice and mix with 1 tsp soy sauce. Thinly slice the mushrooms, run the edamame under hot water to thaw them and finely chop the spring onion, keeping the green part separate.
3. Beat the eggs in a large bowl with a fork, gently and without making them froth, cutting through the whites rather than whisking. Pour in the cooled stock in a thin stream while stirring, then strain everything through a fine sieve: that's the secret to a smooth custard.
4. Divide the chicken, mushrooms, edamame and the white part of the spring onion between the bottoms of the 4 jars. Pour the egg custard over the top, stopping 1 cm from the rim, then remove any bubbles from the surface with a teaspoon.
5. Rest the lids on top without closing them, or cover with foil. Fold a tea towel in the bottom of the large saucepan to stop the jars knocking together, place them in it and pour in hot water to halfway up the jars.
6. Bring to a simmer, then reduce to a low heat and cover the saucepan: the water should barely tremble and never boil, or the custard will fill with holes. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the centre is set but still wobbly.
7. Check it's done by inserting a cocktail stick into the centre: clear juice should come out, not liquid egg. Lift out the jars with a dry tea towel, leave to cool for 20 minutes, then close them and keep in the fridge until the next day.
8. In the morning, allow 2 jars per person and enjoy them cold, or warm after 1 minute in the microwave on medium power with the lid removed. Add a few drops of sesame oil and the chopped green part of the spring onion just before eating.