@shrinkrap There shouldn’t be separated liquid, just like quiche or scrambled eggs (for chinese egg custard and chawanmushi that is – korean custard / gyeran jjim is cooked at a higher temp and I’ve never seen it not separated at a restaurant – puffy bubbly eggs on top, liquid underneath, not quite my jam).
When the liquid separates, that usually a sign of overcooking. Still tastes good, but not as intended.
I prefer the higher end liquid proportion (1/2 to 2/3 cup per egg) for a very light / not eggy custard, but that does have the highest risk of separating. It’s akin to the Thomas Keller quiche ratio (2/3 cup per egg), which yields a similarly delicate custard.
Easier to start lower (1/4 cup per egg, then 1/3) and go up from there as you get comfortable with the timing and heat level for the custard setting without separating. The chinasichuan link has good troubleshooting / analysis.
That’s why I suggested the off-heat Woks of Life method to start, because it removes the trickiness of varying the heat and controlling timing, and pretty much eliminates the likelihood of a separated custard.
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