They are special, not only for their superior flavour and quality, but because of the poulterer’s attention to the health and welfare of his hens, which are free to range and forage on green pasture from dawn to dusk, leading a natural and happy life.

I bought them at Sainsbury’s. Pay close attention and see if you could tell any difference?

There’s no reservation from me not agree to the above phrase, which means Chawan Mushi is delicious! Chawan Mushi 茶 碗蒸しis the Japanese version of steamed eggs or it’s rather called savoury egg custard. Ingredients like small pieces of chicken, prawns, vegetables, mushrooms, and gingko are added.

No, I didn’t type those Japanese characters, I got them off the internet. I used to learn Japanese but I quit after completed the first stage as it was really tough, especially not on a full-time basis. I have forgotten how to write Hiragana and Katagana. A shame really. I wish that I could write in Japanese because I find the characters really nice and the language sounds beautiful too.

The reason why I say it is the Japanese version of steamed eggs is because in Chinese households, we make Chinese steamed eggs (蒸水蛋) too, which is very similar to Chawan Mushi. I am sure you will agree to this if you come from Chinese background and it’s such a common dish amongst other dishes that are served on the table with rice, be it for lunch or dinner! This classic dish is probably the easiest to make in the kitchen! For Chinese steamed eggs, ingredients like minced pork or minced chicken are used. Or sometimes, it’s made plain and sprinkled with spring onions.

I am a Japanese food lover and I really like the their healthy way of cooking and eating. When I go to the Japanese restaurants, I will never miss Sashimi and Sushi. Of course, the cooked dishes too. Chawan Mushi is one of the dishes that I like amongst so many other recipes in the Japanese cookbooks that I have. Harumi’s is one of my favourites! Even my Japanese hairdresser reckons she is good!

Chawan Mushi is suitable to be served as starter or a side dish. Not only they are easy to make but they are pretty to look at too. I choose to use Shiitake mushrooms and prawns. You can put any ingredients that you can possibly think of.

Now, let’s go to your kitchen and see how we can prepare this yummy dish.

Serves 4 persons

For the egg custards:
1 tsp chicken granules
250ml hot water
3 eggs
6 prawns (cut into small cubes)
1 Shiitake mushroom (cut into small cubes)
some chopped spring onions to garnish

For the sauce to pour on top: (optional)
2 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
some white pepper

Method:
1. To make the custard: Dissolve the chicken granules in the hot water and leave for a few minutes to cool.
2. In another bowl, beat the eggs. Add to the chicken stock and mix well.
3. Strain through a sieve to get smooth texture.
4. Divide the prawns and mushrooms into 4 small cups and pour the egg mixture.
5. Put the cups in the steamer and steam for about 15 minutes until cooked. The custard should be firm to touch.
6. Make the sauce by mixing all the ingredients specified.
7. When the custards are ready, remove from the steamer and pour a little of the sauce onto each one. Then, garnish with some spring onions.
8. Serve hot as starter or as a side dish.

Run out of ideas what to make for dinner? Don’t have a lot of time spent in the kitchen as you don’t want to miss your favourite program on the TV. Worse still, you have only a few eggs left in the fridge, some asparagus which are in season now, a tiny block of Parmigiano and a half eaten baguette…. because you were too busy to do your weekly shopping!

Look no further - takes you no more than 15 minutes to prepare this easy yet yummy dish - Asparagus Egg Benedict.

1. Get the baguette sliced thinly, put some olive oil, set aside to be toasted.
2. In a sauce pan, filled with boiling salty water and blanch the cleaned and trimmed asparagus for about 4-5 minutes.
3. While blanching the asparagus, in another sauce pan, half filled it with boiling water, add in 2 generous tablespoons of white win vinegar. Make sure the water is boiling, break an egg or two (one by one) to poach for 2-3 minutes.
4. Get the baguette toasted while waiting for the eggs and asparagus to be cooked.
5. Scoop out the egg and place it on a kitchen tower to soak up the water.
6. Arrange the asparagus on the dinner plate, then put the egg on top of the asparagus.
7. Shave some parmigiano and sprinkle on top of them, then season with a bit of salt, pepper and some herbs de provences.
8. Served with toasted baguette.

Given only the above, what would I cook? I gave it an Asian twist even though tagliatelle doesn’t seem to belong to Asian kitchen.

I cut the tofu into thin rectangular shape, coated them with corn flour and pan fried them while the tagliatelle was in the boiling pot of water. I pan fried the tofu in two batches and set them aside, which by then the tagliatelle was almost cooked.

I heated up the wok, put a little bit of olive oil, followed by the garlic and onions. Well, I always make sure I have these ingredients in my kitchen no matter what. After about 2 minutes, I chucked in the sliced leeks and gave them a good stir. I then started to season them with heaps of black pepper, some light soya sauce and some dark soya sauce. After that, I added some water to make the sauce.

When it came to boil, I thicken the sauce with corn flour. Let it boil for about 2 minutes, I then added the tagliatelle and tofu and mixed them well with the sauce. Voila, there I have a black pepper tagliatelle with leeks and tofu.