Chawanmushi with Prawn, Scallop & Crabsticks

Ingredients

• 1 dried shitake or Chinese mushroom
• 3 tbsp hot water
• ½ cup dashi stock
• 4 thin slices carrot, sliced round
• 1 large egg
• 1 fresh Hokkaido scallop, sliced into half
• 2 prawns, deveined with tails intact
• 1/4 tsp sake
• 1 crabstick, quartered
• 2 fresh gingko nuts
• 2 sprigs English parsley, to garnish

Seasoning

• ½ tsp. mirin
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. soy sauce

Method

1. In a small bowl, combine dried mushrooms and the hot water (3 tbsp). Let it soak for at least 15 minutes. When mushroom is rehydrated, slice thinly (you should get 8-10 slices depending on how big your mushroom is). Reserve the water for Step 2.

2. Put the water from Step 1 into a 1/2-cup measuring cup, and then top up with dashi stock until you have ½ cup of liquid.

3. Marinate prawns and seafood with the sake, to remove some of the "fishy" smell. Using a cookie cutter, cut carrot into desired shape, I made a rabbit shape for my kids.

4. Place eggs in a bowl and beat with a fork. Add seasonings and dashi mixture from Step 2
and mix well. Then strain the mixture through a sieve into another bowl. Do this gently as you want to avoid creating bubbles.

5. In a large pot or wok, place enough water to cover 1/2 of the chawanmushi cup. Bring to the boil over high heat with cover on and once boiling, reduce to low heat.

6. Divide all the ingredients into 2 cups. Start off with the scallop at the bottom, followed by the crabsticks, gingko nuts, and shitake mushrooms. (The colorful ingredients such as prawn, carrot and parsley should be placed on top. Do this after you have poured in the egg mixture)

7. Gently pour the egg mixture into the cups without creating bubbles. Then arrange the colorful ingredients on top, making sure some of them "peek out" for a more attractive chawanmushi. Put the lid on (or
cover with aluminum foil tightly if you don’t have chawanmushi cup).

8. Place the cups into the hot water gently (note: it should NOT be “boiling”, only very gentle simmer) and cover the pot’s lid. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Insert a skewer in the center of the cup to check if the egg is done. Serve immediately.