Egg Custard or Chawan-Mushi

***************************************************************

To me, Egg Custard conjures a sweet Western dish baked in the oven, similar to 'rice pudding'. In Harvest Moon and Rune Factory, however, it is a savoury dish with mushrooms. Here is a Recipe for Chawan-mushi, the real world equivalent to Harvest Moon/Rune Factory Egg Custard:

Ingredients:

3 eggs
2 3/4 cups chicken stock, seasoned with sake and soy sauce
4 slices of shitake mushroom
4 cilantro leaves

4 cups

Beat the egg gently with a fork, then gradually add the stock, stirring constantly.

Place one slice of shitake mushroom in each cup, then pour the egg/stock mixture into the cups. Garnish each with one piece of cilantro.

Boil water in a steamer, then reduce the heat to medium.

Place the four cups into the steamer and steam for about 12 minutes. Do not overcook!

Note that many Recipes include pieces of chicken as well as Mushrooms but as meat usually is not an ingredient in Harvest Moon or Rune Factory, the purist will eschew it and use only Mushrooms, an Autumn ingredient in most HM and RF games.

In Rune Factory Frontier, the Recipe for Egg Custard (made in the Steamer) is as follows:
Egg Custard:
Ingredients: Egg, Shrimp, Spinach, Mushroom

Skill Level Requirement is Level 29 and Energy Values are: HP 45, RP 225, FX 120 sec. Knock-back, Seal Attack 100%

In Island of Happiness, the Recipe is obtained from the Diner with the offering of a Shitake Mushroom and is as follows:

Steamed Egg Custard: 110G
Basic Steamed Egg Custard: Egg, Shitake
+25 SR +10 FL
Best Steamed Egg Custard: Egg, Shitake, Small Fish, Medium Fish, Large Fish,
Grilled Fish
+49 SR +24 FL

Potato Croquettes or Korokke

**********************************************************************

'Croquettes' or Korokke is another dish with a French name that is popular in Japan. Here is a wonderful recipe for Potato Curry Croquettes:

Ingredients:

Croquette mixture:
1/4 lb. ground beef
1 lb. potatoes, boiled and mashed
1/2 onion, chopped fine
salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
Optional: 1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon oil or butter

Coating:
1/2 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
2 cups bread crumbs

Cooking:
Oil for deep frying

Garnish:
8 cabbage leaves, thinly sliced, soaked in cold water

Cut 1 lb. of potatoes, boil and mash, then set aside while you cook the meat mixture as follows:

Heat oil/butter, then saute the chopped onion until it is transparent. Add ground meat, brown the meat, then add the spices. Remove meat mixture and add it to the mashed potatoes.

Place the flour on a plate or clean surface and do the same with the bread crumbs. The beaten egg should be in a separate bowl.

Now make 8 croquettes by shaping or rolling the mixture in your hands, dredge each first in the flour, dip it in the egg, then roll it in the bread crumbs until it is covered thoroughly.

Heat oil and deep-fry each croquette in the oil for about 3 minutes on each side until golden-brown. Drain and remove any excess oil from the croquettes, then wrap in the cabbage leaves and serve. (If you do not like raw cabbage, you can cook the cabbage leaves slightly before placing them in the cold water.)

Not as healthy as Natto perhaps...

A very simple Korokke recipe is:

3 or 4 cups mashed potatoes
1 cup corn
1/2 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Japanese bread crumbs (panko)

Oil for frying

Place the flour on a plate or clean surface and place the bread crumps on another plate or bowl, while keeping the beaten egg in a separate bowl.

Mix the mashed potatoes and egg together, then shape into patties. Dredge first in flour, then dip in the egg and finally coat with the bread crumbs.

Deep fry each croquette in oil until golden. Drain and remove any excess oil. Serve with tonkatsu or any other favourite sauce.