Chawanmushi (aka Steamed Egg Custard)

This is one of the top dishes in my girls' book. Amanda even went so far to proclaim: "Dis is dee best deener in my life!" Granted, she's only four years old, but still, she's had over 1,400 dinners in her lifetime! It's magical, what some eggs and chicken broth can do, and then atop rice or quinoa? Total comfort. And it's easy for a certain someone to eat when she is missing two front teeth!

I start out by beating four eggs, and as you can see, I'm not the smoothest operator when it comes to cracking eggs!

Meanwhile, I have my flavor-packed broth from the bottom of the slow cooker chicken. This pic is before I strained the broth. Also, I have two big handfuls of thawed bay shrimp (no pic, sorry).

Then I strain the four beaten eggs and two cups of broth into a bowl. I didn't add any seasonings because the broth was already so flavorful and had plenty of salt. If you are adding chicken broth from a can or box, you may want to add salt and white pepper to taste.

If you have a steamer, go for it. I don't have a steamer, so I place a steamer insert on top of a ramekin in a pot, and then I add some water to the pot.

Pour the egg/broth mixture into four bowls or ramekins. And here is where you can get creative. You can leave it be, or you can add chopped up fishcakes, sliced shiitake mushrooms, gingko nuts, pieces of chicken. My girls don't like too much texture, as it can offset the smoothness, so add according to your tastes. I added some bay shrimp to this dish. (Note: whatever you add will sink to the bottom, and that's okay).

Steam for about 20 minutes and let rest about 5 minutes. The great thing is that this can be done from start to finish in about half an hour, making it pretty doable for a weeknight dinner. I scooped it over some brown rice and served with some braised yellow squash. The girls inhaled this, and Katie claimed the leftovers for the next day's lunch. It may not be the prettiest dish, but the velvety, smooth custard is addictive. Katie had four helpings!