Soy sauce pudding (shoyu purin)

The recipe is very similar to creme caramel, or what the Italians call ‘latte alla portoghese’, but Japanese ‘purin’ has a subtle difference: it is simply made with milk and whole eggs, giving it a lighter mouth-feel. The soy sauce adds a hint of saltiness.

Soy sauce pudding (shoyu purin). Credit: Smith Street Books / Emiko Davies

• serves

  6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 500 ml (2 cups) full-cream milk
• 50 g (¼ cup) sugar
• 3 tsp soy sauce
• 4 eggs

Caramel

• 65 g (⅓ cup) sugar

Cooling time: 2-3 hours

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Arrange 6 ramekins in a deep baking dish.
2. To make the caramel, put the sugar in a small pan with 1 tablespoon water. Place over low heat and watch the sugar carefully as it begins to melt, then simmer and, finally, turn amber. Resist the urge to stir but just let it do its thing, at least until the very end, when a swirl of the pan can help. When it begins to colour, it will do so very quickly so be ready to remove it from the heat at deep amber – too dark and it will be bitter. I don’t need to tell you that hot caramel is incredibly dangerous, so don’t let a drop touch your skin!
3. Immediately pour the hot caramel into the ramekins (a spoon can be useful, or pour freehand). It solidifies very quickly, so don’t worry if it doesn’t cover the bottom of the ramekin – it will all come out perfectly in the end. Set aside.
4. Warm the milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. As soon as you can see bubbles around the edge and the milk is steaming, take it off the heat before it can simmer. Add the soy sauce and have a taste – if you would like a stronger soy sauce flavour, add another teaspoon. Leave to cool slightly.
5. Whisk the eggs gently by hand in a bowl – a machine will make them too frothy and you’ll have puddings filled with holes. Once the milk has cooled to warm bath temperature, add it to the eggs. Pour into the ramekins.
6. Fill the baking dish with hot water and put in the oven (if it’s a heavy dish, it’s safer to put it in the oven, then add water).
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until the custard has set – it will be wobbly to the touch but the top will be lightly browned.
8. Cool completely before serving, or they can be chilled until needed. They will keep in the fridge for 3 days.
9. To serve, run a knife around the edge of the ramekin and hold a plate over the top (ideally one with a bit of a lip to catch the caramel), then flip everything over in one swift movement so the pudding turns out.
    
   

Note

There is a history of soy sauce-making on Shodo Island in the Seto Inland Sea in southern Japan. It is there you will find one of the most wonderful artisanal soy sauce makers: Yamaroku. We tasted this pudding several times during our stay on the island. The soy sauce adds a subtly salty, almost nutty flavour to this beloved classic, in the same way that salt works wonders when added to caramel or chocolate. I am absolutely hooked on it. If you have a special soy sauce, such as a barrel-aged or twice-fermented, now would be a good time to experiment with it.

This is an edited extract from The Japanese Pantry by Emiko Davies (Smith Street Books)

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.