Chawanmushi Recipe for Longevity

Chawanmushi for Longevity

Chawanmushi is an egg custard dish found in Japan. Unlike many other custards, it contains savory rather than sweet ingredients, so it's best eaten as a starter or side dish rather than a dessert.

Shiitake mushrooms are the star of the show where longevity is concerned, with their high spermidine content. They are also one of the few foods to contain vitamin D, something we're all struggling to get enough of in the darker, colder nothern hemisphere.

Goji berries are loaded with vitamin C (essential for collagen production), so your skin, hair and nails will thank you. As will your energy levels!

Ingredients:

- 3 medium eggs
-1 1/4 cup chicken consommé
- 15 thin slices of shiitake mushroom or 3 very small shiitake mushrooms 
- 15 peas fresh or frozen
- 3 to 6 goji berries

Tools:

Steamer
Mesh wire sieve
3 ramekins
2 bowls, 1 preferably with a lip or spout for pouring

Method:

1) Mix the eggs and the consommé together with a fork
2) Strain the mixture with the sieve
3) Divide the mushrooms, peas and goji berries evenly between the 3 ramekins
4) Pour strained egg yolk mixture into the ramekins dividing evenly
5) Steam for approximately 15 min or until glossy on top and before bubbles appear on the surface (too many bubbles will make it tough instead of silky).
6) Serve with furikake (sesame seeds, seaweed flakes and plum leaf flakes), a single umeboshi plum for tartness and umami flavour, katsuobushi (dried fish flakes), and soy sauce to taste.