The reward for this delightful steamed egg dish, smooth and savory, will seem much too high for the effort. Reminiscent of Chinese zheng shui dan, Japanese chawanmushi and Korean gyeran jjim, this streamlined recipe cooks entirely in the microwave. The key to that perfect, soft-set wibble-wobble texture (think silken tofu) is using your microwave at around 500 watts — or half its power on a 1,000-watt machine. This lower heat lets the eggs and broth steam together gently until they cohere into something ethereal, existing somewhere between liquid and solid. More slurpable than chewable, it tastes fantastic as a light starter or breakfast on its own, or for lunch or dinner alongside steamed rice and other dishes to complete the spread.

Microwave-Steamed Eggs

Ingredients:
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup instant or kombu dashi (see Tip below), vegetable or chicken broth, or water
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon finely snipped chives or scallion greens, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
In a medium, microwave-safe shallow cereal bowl, whisk together the eggs, dashi and salt until very well-combined, at least 30 seconds. Skim off any bubbles with a spoon or pop them by blowing on them.
Cover the bowl with a microwave-safe plate and microwave at 500 watts (on 50% power or power level 5 on a 1,000-watt microwave) until the eggs have just set and are no longer liquid in the middle, 5 to 7 minutes. (Every machine differs, so check for doneness at 5 minutes, then in 30-second intervals after that if needed.)
Let sit in the microwave to cool slightly, then carefully remove, uncover and drizzle with the soy sauce and maple syrup, and garnish with the chives, if using. Serve immediately.
Total time: 10 minutes, serves 2.

Tip:
To make a quick kombu dashi, add a 4-inch square of dried kelp, such as kombu or dasima, to a liquid measuring cup and fill with just-boiled water. Let steep until the water is fragrant with seaweed, about 10 minutes, then cool until ready to use.

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