Last weekend I attended an exciting workshop on Dashi, hosted by none other than Dubai’s most celebrated Japanese culinary teacher: Chef Tatsu. The venue: Dubai’s hottest (and my favorite) Asian grocery, 1004gourmet.  This is where I got to learn how to make the very special Japanese Dashi egg custard

Because I get invited to so many cooking classes and workshops – many of which are with decorated chefs- (wow, how entitled do I sound?), it’s highly unlikely for me to sign up for a paid cooking class, and that’s the blunt truth. This class, however, was one I wanted to attend, for 2 reasons:

1. It was being held at 1004gourmet and their classes are very well thought out and always impart valuable knowledge
2. The agenda was extremely unusual and very specific. Chef Tatsu promised to educate us on how to make proper Dashi, and then to use it in 4 (!) different authentic Japanese recipes

I was sold. I walked in only vaguely familiar with Dashi, completely unaware of how to make it from scratch and at best seeking recipes I could use my instant Dashi powder from Japan in. I walked away with a whole new appreciation for the process and the understood the different nuances between types of Dashi and how its a natural source of MSG or umami.

I also realized that a lot of those Japanese dishes which taste simple enough for you to appreciate every individual ingredient but still have an unidentifiable, magical undertone bringing them together are actually bound  together with some good Dashi. The “umami” in them is the Dashi.

The class started with us blind taste testing and trying to guess the types of 4 different types of Dashi. We then learnt 4 recipes that could be made using said Dashi, the most technical of which was Chawanmushi – a steamed Japanese Dashi egg custard. I’ll share all the recipes with you one by one, but for now, we’ll talk about Chef Tatsu’s Japanese Dashi and Egg Custard Recipe.

This is what the chawanmushi looks like right after being steamed…

And this is what it looks like after it’s coated with the thickened/congealed  Dashi broth and crabstick….

 

Here’s Chef Tatsu’s foolproof Chawanmushi recipe

Serving size: 3-4

Ingredients:

• 320g dashi
• 20g mirin
• 2 Eggs
• 20g Kanikama (crabsticks)
• 300g shiitake mushrooms (cut into small pieces)
• 5g chopped spring onions

Sauce:

• 150g Dashi
• 10g Usukuchi soy sauce
• 10g mirin
• 5g katakuriko
• 5g water

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, Dashi, sou sauce and Mirin. Strain this mixture through a fine sieve into ramekins to remove any impurities. Fill ramekins to about 3/4 as the mixture will rise as it cooks
2. Add the slices of shiitake mushrooms into the cups and place them in the steamer
3. Steam at high heat for 5-10 minutes until the surface hardens. Then reduce to medium heat and steam for another 10-15 minutes. Chef with a wooden skewer to toothpick to see if it comes it clean (which means it’s done)
4. Remove from heat and chill in the refrigerator
5. In a separate pot, mix the remaining dashi, usukuchi soy sauce, Mirin and bring to boil. Mix the katakuriko and water in a small bowl, then add to dashi mixture. Remove the heat and chill in the refrigerator.
6. When you’re ready to serve, garnish the chawanmushi with kanikama, add sauce and garnish with chopped spring onion.

Pro Tip shared by my dear chef friend Alicia (who also happens to be the head of sales and marketing at 1004gourmet:

To prevent overheating when steaming on a lower temperature, a great way for temperature maintenance is placing two chopsticks under the lid, close to the rim. This allows enough steam to escape while the custard continues getting steamed