Steamed Egg Custard with King Prawns

I have always adored the Japanese; they are precise, innovative, creative and full of tradition. I remember our family trip to Japan when I was eleven. We arrived at Narita airport and immediately we were awed by the Japanese innovation; vending machine selling calling cards. It may be a norm in the 2000s but back then, it was unheard of. Wait there is more, vending machine selling ramen noodles, UCC coffee, plum sake, etc. Our journey through Tokyo was fun! We ate yakitori where the locals ate, shabu shabu at the a sit down restaurant and ordered ramen at Takashimaya by pointing at a plastic replica of the dish we wanted because we spoke no Japanese.  At eleven, I was obsessed with anything San Rio produced, at Takashimaya, there was a floor dedicated to San Rio - imagine the chaos it caused me! So anyway, back to the point of this post - steamed egg custard inspired by the Japanese egg custard dish ("Chawan Mushi"). Here is my take of the recipe, serves 2.

What you need:
8 king prawns (shelled except for tails and deveined)
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
1 cup water
3 tablespoon dashi powder
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin

How to:
1. To make dashi stock, bring water to a boil and add dashi, light soy sauce and mirin. Stir to combine and simmer lightly for 5 minutes. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
2. Arrange prawns in slightly deep plate.
3. Lightly whisk cooled dashi stock, into the lightly beaten eggs until well combined. Strain mixture prior to pouring into plate with prawns arranged. Cover plate with glad wrap. Note: Straining will remove any "lumps" and covering with glad wrap help produce a silky smooth custard.
4. Steam prepared custard in a steamer (you can place a bamboo steamer over a wok filled with boiling water) for 20 minutes.

Dozo!