Australian Gourmet Traveller - (05)May 2020 (1)

Using dashifor chawanmushi

Chawantranslatesto“teacup”andmushiis “steamed”,whichis

whythisdelicatesavourycustardis oftenservedina smallteacup

(theJapanesevarietywithouthandles)asa smallcourseina

multi-coursemeal.Thesecrettoa greatchawanmushiis toadd

justenougheggtothedashi,andtosteamit justtherightamount

soyouachievea silkytexturethatbreakssmoothlywhenpierced.

Chawanmushiis regardedasa soupcourse,astheliquidreleased

from the added ingredients seeps out of the custard when disturbed.

abovecentre),thenremove

fromheatandinfuse

(3minutes).Passthrougha

sieve(reservekatsuobushi

for niban dashi).

Nibandashi

Placereservedkombuand

katsuobushiand1 litrewater

in a saucepan over medium

Kombudashi

Combine20gmkombuand

2 litrescoldwaterandleave

overnight(picturedaboveleft;

optional,butit’sworthwhile

asit’llenhancetheflavour).

Thenextday,slowlyheat

ina saucepanovermedium

heatto65°C.Holdit atthis

temperaturefor 10 minutes,

makingsureit doesn’tcome

toa boil(boilingkombucan

leadtoundesirableflavours

andbringouta gelatinous

character).Whendone,you

shouldbeabletopiercethe

kombuwithyourthumbnail.

Removekombu(reservefor

nibandashi,a secondinfusion

used for braises and sauces).

Bonitoichibandashi

Heat2 litreskombudashiina

saucepanovermediumheatto

80°C.Add30gmkatsuobushi

(dried bonito flakes; pictured

D

ashiis thebuildingblockformanyJapanesedishes,

andit’s surprisinglysimpletomake,requiringonly

a fewingredients.“Itaddscomplexitytosomany

differentdishes,”says MichaelRyan, ownerand

chefofProvenanceinBeechworth,Victoria. Dashiis used

asthebackboneformisosoup,noodle-soupdisheslikeudon,

sobaandramen,andchawanmushi.“It’snota flavouronits

own,butanenhancer,”hesays.Thesimmeringliquidunlocks

theumamiflavoursofkombu,andyoucanalsoaddother

driedingredients.“Onceyouaddbonito,it’s a really defining

and unique aroma of Japanese cuisine.”

heatandslowlybringto

80°C.Removefromheat,

add15gmextrakatsuobushi

andleavefor3 minutes.

Passthrougha sieve(discard

kombuandkatsuobushi;

pictured above right).

Shiitake-mushroomdashi

To make vegetarian shiitake

dashi,place50gmdried

shiitakemushroomsin2 litres

coldkombudashiandleave

overnightinthefridge.The

nextday,passstockthrough

a sieve,squeezingliquidfrom

shiitake(reserveshiitakefor

anotherusesuchasinstir-

fries,braisesorchawanmushi).

Pass stock through muslin.●

Chawanmushi

1 Crack3 eggsintoa mixingbowl,lightlywhiskandadd590ml

dashiofyourchoice,1 tbspshoyu,1 tspmirinanda pinchofsalt,

andwhiskagain(donotaeratetheeggs).Passthrougha sieve,

thenstrainthroughmuslin. 2 Placeyourselectionofgarnishes

(seenote)intoa dishorteacup(aboutonetablespoonpercup).

Pourovercustardsoliquidis justshyofthetopofthedishand

covertightlywitha squareofaluminiumfoil. 3 Placedishintoa

largesteamerovermedium-highheatandsteamuntilthecentre

ofthetopofcustardis justset(15minutes).NoteGarnishwith

dicedchickenthigh(skinoff),dicedrawprawns,sliced spring

onion, shelled edamame or sliced mushrooms.

Step by step

GOURMET TRAVELLER 47

Masterclass

RECIPES MICHAEL RYAN. WORDS JORDAN KRETCHMER. PHOTOGRAPHY WILL HORNER. STYLING LYNSEY FRYERS.