One small pleasure is wondering what morsels lie hidden within. To make chawan-mushi , you beat some eggs, mix them into a broth, add seasonings like salt and soy sauce, and then pour the mixture into bowls that contain a few solid ingredients. Then you steam the bowls in a steamer.
Eggs help make a meal nutritious, and are very popular in Japan.
Japanese egg consumption is the second highest in the world. And yet it was only after World War II that the average person began eating eggs on a regular basis - perhaps this is because eating meat was frowned upon in the past, and so was the killing of living creatures, including eggs. The first written record of egg being used in Japanese cooking is from the 17th century. This work listed 100 different recipes using eggs. Adding solid ingredients to the dish became common around the end of the 19th century.