Try Traditional Japanese Stew Now!

Last updated: December 8, 2023

　

A hot pot filled with tender radish, Chikuwa (Tube-shaped fish cake), Konnyaku (Konjac), and soft-boiled eggs in a rich dashi broth. That’s Oden, the traditional Japanese comfort food that will warm your body all winter long.
The ingredients soak up the savory broth deeply so that each bite fills your mouth with flavor. The daikon radish is typically cut thickly so it can soak up the flavorful broth and turn a nice golden color when done. The thick-cut daikon radish and chewy konjac, has an interesting texture, soaking up the flavors the best.
Chikuwa (Tube-shaped fish cakes) are made from a mixture of fish paste, salt, sugar, egg whites, and cornstarch are popular ingredients as well.
The Oden broth is packed with savory umami flavors from kelp and bonito flakes, which warms you from the inside out.
So it’s become a yearly tradition for convenience stores to sell oden stews when winter comes in Japan.
The combination of hearty ingredients and delicious broth creates a meltingly tender mouthfeel. Oden is also commonly eaten with a Japanese-style mustard called karashi as a condiment, which goes nicely with sake.
A signature of Oden is that the ingredients and soup flavors differ by region in Japan. In the Kanto area centered around Tokyo, the broth tends to be flavored sweet and savory, with dark soy sauce, mirin, and sugar added during simmering. On the other hand, in the Kansai region around Osaka, the broth is much lighter compared to Kanto-style, using light soy sauce sparingly and barely seasoning the dashi. The resulting broth is also clearer in appearance.
What do you think about which regional style of Oden suits your taste preferences? Once you try this soul-warming dish, you’ll be craving oden all winter long every year after. Be sure to try this quintessential Japanese comfort food!

KIBUN UMAMI ODEN
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