Odamaki-Mushi with Udon Noodles a Fun Twist on Egg Custard

By Yasuto Akaike / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

15:50 JST, April 12, 2026

Chawan-mushi, or steamed egg custard, is one of the signature dishes of Akihiko Murata, owner of a Japanese restaurant. For this article, he made odamaki-mushi, egg custard with udon noodles. It has an elegant flavor, and is satisfyingly substantial.

“It has a special feel to it, and I personally love it.”

Chawan-mushi is often served early in the course at Murata’s restaurant. This odamaki-mushi originates from Osaka.

Murata’s chawan-mushi uses a higher ratio of dashi broth in the mixture. While the standard ratio of egg to dashi is 1:3, he uses 1:4, resulting in a “looser” texture.

“At the restaurant, we sometimes make it 1:6,” he said. If you strain it twice through a sieve, the texture will be improved.

First, the prep work. After thinly slicing the chicken thigh, lightly score it with the corner of the knife to help it cook through. For the shrimp, make a slit along the back; this allows the heat to open the shell, creating a more vibrant presentation.

Once the ingredients and egg mixture are in the bowl, it’s time to steam. The hot water level should reach about one-third of the bowl’s height, so adjust based on the pot or bowl size. Placing kitchen paper under the pot helps stabilize it. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil to prevent condensation from dripping inside.

Cook over high heat for the first two minutes.

“This creates a protective film on the surface,” explains Murata. Reduce heat to low and steam for about 12 minutes. Tilt the bowl slightly; if the surface appears plump, it’s done. If not, add more steaming time.

Prepare the thickened sauce during the steaming process so it can be poured while piping hot.

When you pull the udon noodles up from beneath the sauce, you’ll smell the fragrant aroma of the broth. The dish is generously loaded with ingredients. The fluffy egg custard gradually breaks down as you eat, eventually making the dish like one bound with beaten eggs. Is this chawan-mushi or a noodle dish? That transformation is part of the fun.

Odamaki-mushi

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 shiitake mushrooms
• 60 grams chicken thigh
• 4 peeled shrimps
• Small amount of mitsuba
• A serving of frozen udon noodles
• 4 thin slices kamaboko (5 millimeters wide)
• 2 tsp potato starch
• 3 tsp mirin
• Yuzu zest to taste


• [Egg mixture]
• 2-3 eggs (100 milliliters)
• 400 milliliters dashi broth
• 2 tsp light soy sauce


• [Thickened sauce]
• 200 milliliters dashi stock
• 55 grams canned crab meat
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• A pinch of salt



Directions:



1. Remove the stem ends from the shiitake mushrooms and slice each mushroom lengthwise into three pieces, including the stems. Thinly slice and score the chicken thigh. Make a slit along the back of each shrimp and remove the vein. Roughly chop the mitsuba.

2. Make the egg mixture. Beat the eggs, as if cutting through the whites. Pour the dashi stock into a bowl, add the beaten eggs and mix. Add the light soy sauce and mirin, then mix. Strain twice through a fine-mesh sieve.

3. Divide the thawed udon noodles, shiitake mushrooms, chicken thigh, shrimp and kamaboko evenly between two bowls. Pour half the egg mixture into each bowl. Reserve half the mitsuba for garnish and sprinkle the rest over each bowl.



4. Pour enough water to reach a depth of about 3 centimeters into the pot and bring to a boil. Cover the bowls with aluminum foil and place in the pot. Cover the pot and steam over high heat for about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and steam for another 12-15 minutes.

5. Make the thickened sauce. In a small saucepan, bring the dashi stock, light soy sauce, mirin, salt and crab meat to a boil. Add potato starch dissolved in an equal amount of water, stirring constantly with a ladle to thicken.

6. Remove the bowls from the pot. Pour half the sauce over each bowl. Top with mitsuba and chopped yuzu peel.