Japanese Egg Custard - Chawan Mushi

I always like chawan mushi. Unfortunately they almost always come with pork or chicken. And because they are usually pre-mixed in advance, it makes it "impossible" to serve without meat. But now that I know the inside-out of chawan mushi, I could probably tell the waiter to inform the cook to simply pick out the meat before it's put to steamed.

I found the recipe from New York Times. True-hearted Japanese may jump and call foul but believe me this Japanese recipe by the American called Mark Bittman does work. I got a "the best chawan mushi" from Adrian. The original recipe uses watercress of which I omitted. I also added stir-fry shiitake mushroom with garlic. I found myself having little guilty pleasure with the garlic - as though I had found a secret staved away in a treasure trove.

Ingredients

(makes 2)

• 2 sea scallops, quartered
  
• 1 tablespoon of chopped shallot
  
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup shiitake mushroom (caps only), sliced
  
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  
• 3/4 cups dashi soup
  
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
  

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Divide scallops and shallots among 2 ramekins. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Beat eggs lightly, and combine with dashi soup, and soy sauce.
2. Sautee mushroom and garlic. Stir into eggs mixture.
3. Put ramekins in flameproof baking pan or skillet, and fill with egg mixture. Add boiling water to pan to about halfway up sides of ramekins, and turn heat to high. When water returns to boil, turn heat to low and cover pan tightly.
4. Simmer 15 minutes, then check. Custards are done when set and no longer watery but still quite jiggly. Remove ramekins from water immediately. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Japanese for Second First-Kiss Anniversary

So I named the first time we kissed. I have a mixed feeling: 1. it's been two years. 2. it feels longer than two years. Both in good sense. It feels as though we should have known each other longer than two years. And at the same time, given the events and circumstances surrounding us, it's incredible that 2 years have quietly gone by without much warning.
Same time last year, I marked our First First-Kiss Anniversary with a handmade card. On one page it's a camel posing in front of a temple. It symbolizes the location and witness to our very first kiss: in front of Golden Temple in Yunnan, China, next to a camel. You can tell I made the card because I screwed up the lamination.

True to the spirit of "handmade" and "original", I decided to mark our Second First-Kiss Anniversary with a skill I had yet to develop 365 days ago - COOKING. Not very creative? But I'm making a huge step by going JAPANESE!!! To show how serious I am about the idea, I bought a few Japanese dining wares, too.
What an experience shopping for Japanese ingredients. For example, there's Nori that I needed for sushi roll, not to be confused with Ao-Nori that's to be sprinkled on the Okonomiyaki. And there's also dashi that come with different packaging, forms, shapes, brands and flavours. What about Katsuoboshi and Katsuo? I also owe it to the Japanese housewife who kindly motioned me for Tonkatsu sauce as I was desperately looking for Okonomiyaki sauce.

I learned a very important lesson this afternoon as I was attending to the cauliflower - ALWAYS wash your vegetables. There was a worm on one of the florets. I got freaked out at first and relieved after - I knew people at Fuji didn't lie and sell me non-organic cauliflower. The worm can testify to the non-usage of insecticide.

And so to display my love for the man whom I co-habit with, I made for him Chawan Mushi, Cauliflower and Quinoa Sushi Roll, Osaka-style Okonomiyaki and a non-Japanese inspired Salt-Kissed Buttermilk Cake. In return, he got for me a wristlet that is ABSOLUTELY me and his happy face.