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Milt, or soft roe, is an ingredient with a creamy texture and elegant sweetness. Japanese restaurant owner Kanako Wakimoto uses it in chawanmushi, or savory steamed egg custard. The delicacy is impressively presented with the milt visible on the top.
Chawanmushi is often cooked with shrimp, chicken and ginkgo nuts at the bottom of the bowl, offering the fun of discovering the ingredients as you eat. This time, however, a shallow bowl was used so that the milt could be seen. “I want people to enjoy its pure white and plump characteristics with their eyes as well,” Wakimoto said.
The first step is making the egg mixture. The basic ratio of egg and broth is one to three. The saltiness should be subtle, as the dish will be finished with kudzu sauce and ponzu.
Wash the milt well to remove the sliminess. Repeat until the water in the bowl becomes clear and the fishy smell is gone. Do not let the water come to a boil when blanching the milt as it will become tough if overcooked. If fresh, 30 seconds should be enough.
After pouring the milt and egg mixture into a bowl, place in a steamer. If you begin steaming while the milt is still warm, the mixture will be heated evenly, lowering the chance of a mistake.
While steaming the milt and egg mixture, quickly make the kudzu sauce to able to pour over the dish just before serving. If you prepare ponzu sauce beforehand, it will become rich with dashi from ingredients such as kombu kelp.
The most common mistake made when cooking chawanmushi is overheating, causing small air bubbles to form in the egg mixture. “If you are uncertain, shake the bowl gently during the steaming and see how it looks,” Wakimoto said. If it does not ripple like a liquid and jiggles uniformly, it is ready.
Scoop the hot chawanmushi with a spoon and bring to your mouth. The egg and the milt intertwine together, creating a smooth duet as the rich umami flavor glides on your tongue. The lingering texture of the milt skin is also enjoyable. Be sure to make this winter dish before the season is over!
Enjoy the ingredients’ simple flavors
The Yomiuri Shimbun Milt with ponzu sauce
Blanch the leftover milt and use it for “milt ponzu.” Cut into bite-size pieces and place in a bowl lined with wakame seaweed. Pour the ponzu sauce on top and sprinkle with shichimi blend of seven spices to complete the dish. Enjoy the simple flavors of the ingredients.
You can also garnish with something other than wakame seaweed — boiled spinach or komatsuna Japanese mustard spinach, salted Chinese cabbage or steamed shimeji or shiitake mushrooms can also be used. Please try different combinations.
Chawanmushi with milt
Ingredients (serves 4)
160 grams milt
1 egg
300 milliliters soup stock
Generous amount of konegi green onion cut into small pieces
150 milliliters soy sauce
100 milliliters mirin
150 milliliters lemon juice
2 grams kombu kelp
A pinch of bonito flakes
1 tbsp kudzu powder
Directions:
The Yomiuri Shimbun Pass egg mixture through a strainer
1. Beat an egg in a bowl, add 150 milliliters of soup stock and a pinch of salt, and mix thoroughly to not create air bubbles. Pass the mixture through a strainer.
2. Make ponzu sauce. Mix soy sauce, mirin, lemon juice, kombu kelp and bonito flakes in a storage container.
3. Wash milt well in a bowl of water, remove the strings and cut into 12 equal pieces. Boil 500 milliliters of water in a small saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon of sake and two pinches of salt. Drop in the milt and blanch over low heat for 30 seconds. Remove to a shallow tray and drain.
4. Put three pieces of the milt and ¼ of the mixture from step 1 into a shallow bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a steamer for seven to eight minutes.
The Yomiuri Shimbun Blanch milt over low heat for 30 seconds
5. Make the kudzu sauce. Put 150 milliliters of soup stock, two pinches of salt and kudzu powder dissolved in the same amount of water in a small saucepan and heat until the sauce has thickened. Turn off the heat, add konegi green onions and stir.
6. Remove bowls from the steamer. Pour over a generous amount of the kudzu and ponzu sauces.
