Oden Recipe: How to Make Japanese Oden Hot Pot
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Nov 8, 2024 • 2 min read
Oden is a beloved Japanese street food that's relatively simple to make at home.
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What Is Oden?
Oden is a type of nabemono, or one-pot dish, that’s traditionally cooked in a donabe (clay pot) and features Japanese fish cakes, konnyaku, tofu, and vegetables in a savory broth. Oden is a popular street food in Japan—particularly in the winter—and a common side dish at udon restaurants. In convenience stores and street carts all over Japan, you'll find individual oden ingredients simmering in separate metal containers so diners can specify their favorite combinations. It's also a popular hot pot dish to prepare communally at home.
A Brief History of Oden
Oden may have been derived from another Japanese dish: misodengaku, or tofu grilled on a skewer and served in a miso sauce. During the eighteenth century, misodengaku was served over rice along with konnyaku and vegetables. It is likely that oden soup, which features similar ingredients simmered in dashi stock, was developed from this dish.
9 Essential Oden Ingredients
A well-stocked Japanese grocery store should have everything you need to make oden—sometimes packaged together in an oden kit.
- 1. Dashi broth: Dashi is a Japanese soup stock made by steeping umami-rich ingredients like kombu (kelp) and bonito flakes in warm or cold water.
- 2. Konnyaku: This jelly-like Japanese food made from the konjac plant is often cut into large, triangular pieces. You may also find shirataki (noodles made from konnyaku), served in a bundle.
- 3. Chikuwa: Chikuwa are tubular fish cakes resembling bamboo stalks.
- 4. Hanpen: Hanpen is a soft, white fish cake made from fish paste, dashi, and Japanese mountain yam.
- 5. Satsuma-age: This deep-fried fish cake has a golden color.
- 6. Kinchaku: Kinchaku is a deep-fried tofu pouch filled with molten-hot mochi. It resembles a drawstring purse.
- 7. Ganmodoki: Ganmodoki is a round tofu dumpling filled with vegetables like burdock root or carrot.
- 8. Atsuage and aburaage: These are two different kinds of deep-fried tofu. Atsuage is thick and usually served as a triangular wedge. Aburaage is more porous inside and typically served as a square or stuffed with another ingredient.
- 9. Karashi: Karashi is a Japanese hot mustard seed condiment typically served with oden.
Classic Japanese Oden Recipe
makes
prep time
20 mintotal time
1 hr 20 mincook time
1 hrIngredients
- 1
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil.
- 2
Using a sharp knife, score a shallow cross-hatch pattern onto both sides of the konnyaku block. Cut the konnyaku in half on the diagonal to form two triangles.
- 3
Par-boil the konnyaku, about 2–4 minutes, then remove it and return the saucepan to a boil.
- 4
Peel the daikon radish and cut it into half-moons about 1-inch thick.
- 5
Microwave the daikon radish until tender, about 4 minutes.
- 6
Blanch the aburaage and satsuma-age in the saucepan of boiling water, about 1–2 minutes, and remove excess oil with paper towels.
- 7
In a donabe or large pot, combine the dashi stock with the soy sauce and mirin. Bring to a simmer and add the par-boiled konnyaku and daikon radish. Let it simmer for 30 minutes.
- 8
Reduce the heat to low and add the fried tofu, fish cakes, and hard-boiled eggs. Let the soup cook for 15 minutes, then add the chikuwa and hanpen and let it cook for 10 more minutes.
- 9
Serve immediately, or refrigerate and warm up over low heat the next day.
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