Custard Pudding (Steam-Baked)

Name: Custard Pudding (Steam-Baked)
Yield: Makes 4 (100–120 ml heatproof cups)
Ingredients: Egg 2; Milk 250ml; Vanilla extract 2–3 drops; Sugar (for caramel) 4 tbsp (about 40 g); Water (for caramel) 1 tbsp; Boiling water (for caramel) 1 tbsp; Sugar (for pudding mix) 40g; Boiling water (for steaming) 2 cm deep in the frying pan; Heatproof pudding cups (heatproof glass is OK) 4; Aluminum foil 4 sheets (big enough to cover the cups); Paper towels 2 sheets; Deep frying pan with a lid 1; Bamboo skewer 1 stalk

Makes 4 (100–120 ml heatproof cups) · About 45 min + 3 hr in the fridge
Make caramel, then steam-bake the egg and milk mix in a frying pan. No oven.

① Make the caramel→② Make the pudding mix and strain it→③ Steam-bake in a frying pan→④ Chill

What to buy

Eggs & dairy

Egg2Milk250ml

Flour & baking

Vanilla extractOptional2–3 drops

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How to make it

Make the caramel

Medium heatAbout 5 min

Put 4 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp water in a small pot and set over medium heat
Don't stir with a spatula. Just shake the pot now and then so the color is even
When it turns dark brown (a little lighter than soy sauce), turn off the heat
Reach out with your arm straight and add 1 tbsp boiling water, then shake the pot to blend
Right away, pour it evenly into the 4 cups

How to tell it's doneDark brown caramel is spread over the bottom of the cups.

Be carefulCaramel is very hot (over 150°C). Don't touch it with your fingers or lick it to taste.

Be carefulAdding boiling water makes it pop and splatter. Keep your face away and add it with your arm stretched out.

Make the pudding mix and strain it

Low heatAbout 5 min

In another pot, put 250 ml milk and 40 g sugar and warm over low heat, stirring
When the sugar dissolves and it's warm enough to put your finger in (a little hotter than a bath), turn off the heat. Don't let it boil
Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and beat with the tip of the whisk touching the bottom, so you don't make bubbles
Add the milk a little at a time, mixing, and add 2–3 drops of vanilla extract if you have it
Strain through a tea strainer (or a fine strainer) as you gently pour it into the cups from step 1

How to tell it's doneThe cups are 80% full, with no bubbles on top. Scoop off bubbles with a spoon.

Be carefulIf the milk is too hot, the egg sets into little white bits.

Steam-bake in a frying pan

Very low heat12 min + 10 min with heat off

Cover each cup with aluminum foil
Lay 2 paper towels on the bottom of the frying pan and set the cups on them
Pour boiling water around the cups 2 cm deep (don't get any in the cups)
Put on the lid and set over medium heat. When the water bubbles, turn to very low heat for 12 minutes
Turn off the heat and let sit with the lid on for 10 minutes

How to tell it's doneWhen you gently shake a cup, the whole top jiggles as one and doesn't ripple like a liquid. Poke a bamboo skewer into the center: no yellow liquid comes out of the hole.

Be carefulIf it ripples like a liquid, put on the lid and cook on very low heat 2 more minutes at a time. Cook the egg until set all the way through.

Be carefulThe hot water and cups are very hot. Take them out after the frying pan cools, using oven mitts.

Chill

30 min at room temp + 3 hr in the fridge

Take out the cups, remove the foil, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes
Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 3 hours
To turn it out onto a plate, run a knife all the way around the edge of the cup, put a plate on top, and flip them over together

ReadyIt's well chilled and smooth when you scoop it with a spoon. The caramel has melted into a syrup. Eat within about 2 days, kept in the fridge.

📚 Learn more about this dish

🥬 Ingredient guide

Eggs Shoyu (soy sauce)

🔪 Cutting & cooking tips

Boiling Heat levels (high, medium, low)

If it didn't work out

Small holes (su) on the top or insideThe heat was too high. Use very low heat so the water doesn't boil hard. Beating without making bubbles in step 2 also matters.

The center doesn't setIt wasn't steamed long enough. Put on the lid and cook on very low heat 2 more minutes at a time, and check with a bamboo skewer.

The caramel is bitterIt was burned too much. Turn off the heat as soon as it's dark brown. If the color is close to black, it gets bitter.

The caramel turned white and grainyYou stirred it while the sugar was melting. Don't stir; just shake the pot.

There are little white bitsThe milk was too hot and the egg set. Stop at a little hotter than a bath, and always strain.

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Made by YUU, a teen who loves cooking → About me