Chawanmushi

Chawanmushi is a savoury egg custard steamed in its own cup with dashi, mushroom and shrimp suspended inside. It's Japan's quietest starter — no crunch, no char, nothing seared — served warm in the very cup it was steamed in, and eaten with a spoon rather than chopsticks.

What it actually is

Beaten egg is mixed with cooled dashi stock in a careful ratio that keeps the custard silky rather than rubbery, then poured into small lidded cups over a few pieces of shrimp, sliced shiitake mushroom and a sprig of mitsuba herb. The cups go into a steamer over gentle heat, covered, until the custard just barely sets — overcooked chawanmushi turns porous and weeps liquid, which is the one thing the dish must never do.

Getting the custard silky rather than bubbled or grainy is entirely about temperature control; it's a dish that punishes impatience in the kitchen more than almost anything else on a Japanese menu.

How it's served

• In its own small lidded cup, straight from the steamer, still warm.
• Eaten with a spoon, never chopsticks, since it's closer to a custard than a solid food.
• As a starter, early in a multi-course meal, before anything grilled or fried.

Writing it on a menu

• Flag egg and fish/shellfish; both are standard parts of the filling, not optional extras.
• Note that it's served warm, not hot; it comes to the table gently, straight from a low-temperature steam.
• Say what fills the cup beyond shrimp and mushroom, since chicken, ginkgo nut or fish cake are common regional variations.
• Mention that it's highly temperature-sensitive to cook; a kitchen unfamiliar with it risks a grainy or watery custard, which is worth being confident about before adding it to a menu.