How To Make Oden
How To Make Oden
How To Make Oden
deep-fried tofu, hard-boiled eggs, konnyaku and some vegetables simmered in soy sauce-based dashi broth.
It tastes even better the second day!
What is Oden?
Oden is a one-pot dish, which is a little bit different from stew or hot pot. It’s more like a simmered dish:
assorted fish balls, fish cakes, Atsuage (deep-fried tofu), hard-boiled eggs, konnyaku, and some vegetables
are simmered in soy sauce-based broth.
Although the fish cakes are mostly brown and may not look as appetizing to you, once you eat this dish,
it’ll be your new winter comfort dish! In my house, I usually serve Oden with Onigiri (rice ball) after my
good friend served her oden with onigiri.
I usually make Oden a day before so that all the ingredients will absorb the delicious broth and it tastes
much better the following day.
If you are familiar with Japanese drama or cartoon, you have probably seen a scene of salarymen eating
Oden and drinking sake at a food stand at night with their coworkers. It has been known as a food stall dish
during the night time for relaxing after a day of working. Fortunately, this dish can also be enjoyed at home
and we can even take out from convenience stores (e.g. Lawsons, Family Mart, 7-Eleven…etc) during the
wintertime. This has even spread to other Asian countries. When I was in Taiwan last month, I saw the 7-
Elevens sell Oden (關東煮).
ODEN
A classic winter comfort dish in Japan, Oden is a one-pot dish with an assortment of fish balls, fish cakes,
deep-fried tofu, hard-boiled eggs, konnyaku and some vegetables simmered in soy sauce-based dashi broth.
Cuisine: Japanese
Servings: 6
INGREDIENTS
Dashi Stock:
Seasonings:
4 Tbsp usukuchi (light-color) soy sauce (It’s NOT low-sodium soy sauce)
2 Tbsp sake
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp mirin
Oden Ingredients:
5 large eggs
INSTRUCTIONS
In a donabe (earthenware pot), make dashi (Japanese soup stock) and add Seasonings.
Oden 2
Slice daikon into 1-inch pieces and remove the skin (you can peel first with a peeler too).
Oden 3
Remove the corners (Mentori technique) so that there are no sharp edges. This will prevent daikon from
breaking into pieces.
Oden 4
If you prepare rice to serve with Oden, preserve the white water from cleaning rice. Put daikon and the
white water in a small pot and start cooking until a skewer goes through (do not cover the lid). In Japan, we
say the rice water will get rid of bitterness and bad smell from daikon and the water also makes daikon
beautiful white color. Make sure to cook daikon from cold water so the center of daikon gets cooked slowly
before boiling and that will help cook daikon evenly.
Oden 5
Boil eggs (cook egg from the water, after boiling set timer for 12 minutes, run cold water and peel off shell).
Cut Nishime Kombu into short pieces and quickly rinse the coating in running water. Make a knot like
below.