What is Oden?
What is Oden?
Oden is a warm and filling one-pot Japanese fish cake stew that is the perfect dish for winter. Ingredients for oden can vary from region to region, but typically contains daikon, konnyaku (konjac), atsuage (deep fried tofu), hard boiled eggs and a variety of fish cakes. These ingredients are slowly simmered in dashi (Japanese soup stock) made from either konbu (kelp) and or katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and flavored with soy sauce.
To prepare oden is fairly simple. In a donabe (a traditional Japanese earthenware pot) or pot, make your dashi broth or use pre-made oden soup mix and bring to a simmer. Add your choice of ingredients and simmer for about an hour – like many stews, the flavor deepens the longer you cook together. Oden is especially delicious the next day.
Looking for something even easier? You can find oden sets which contain a variety of fish cakes along with the broth. You can find these sets in our seafood department.
When ready to serve, scoop out broth and ingredients of your choice. For a little extra kick, add Japanese hot mustard or karashi, a popular condiment for oden.
