Mushimono: Steaming (Chawanmushi)

Chawanmushi — literally "steamed in a tea bowl" — developed in the Edo period as a refined dish for formal meals. It entered the kaiseki repertoire as a warming course between lighter preparations. The technique of controlling steam temperature by leaving the steamer lid slightly ajar is unique to this preparation and reflects the precision that Japanese classical cooking demands even from its most simple technique.

Mushimono — steamed things — encompasses steamed fish, vegetables, and the most technically demanding steamed preparation in the Japanese repertoire: chawanmushi, an egg custard steamed in a covered cup with garnishes suspended within it. The key to chawanmushi is the same key that unlocks all Japanese steamed preparations: controlled, gentle heat that never exceeds 85°C inside the steamer. Steam that is too vigorous produces a pockmarked, curdled custard with a coarse texture. Steam held at the correct temperature produces a custard with the texture of silken water.

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