Ahhh yes 😌 Oden—the ultimate Japanese winter comfort food. It’s a simmered one-pot dish of fish cakes, vegetables, and proteins in a light, savory broth.
🍢 Japanese Oden
Ingredients (4 servings)
Broth
- 6 cups dashi stock (or substitute low-sodium chicken/vegetable broth)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp sake (optional)
- 1 tsp sugar
Oden Ingredients (common choices)
- 4 daikon radish slices (1-inch thick)
- 4 boiled eggs, peeled
- 1 konnyaku block, cut into triangles
- 6–8 chikuwa (tube-shaped fish cakes)
- 4–6 ganmodoki (fried tofu patties)
- Optional: tofu, mochi, cabbage rolls, or other fish cakes
Instructions
- Prep ingredients
- Peel and slice daikon; parboil for 10 min to remove bitterness.
- Boil eggs and peel.
- Cut konnyaku and fish cakes as needed.
- Make broth
- In a large pot, combine dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar.
- Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add ingredients
- Add daikon first (needs longer cooking), then konnyaku, tofu, and fish cakes.
- Simmer 30–60 min on low heat, partially covered.
- Add eggs
- Add boiled eggs in the last 10–15 min to soak flavor.
- Serve
- Serve hot with a little karashi mustard on the side.
Pro Tips
- Low & slow simmering allows flavors to fully absorb.
- Make it a day ahead—oden tastes even better the next day.
- Customize with any Japanese winter ingredients you like (daikon, potatoes, octopus, etc.)
- Keep broth clear: skim foam as it simmers.
I can also give you a quick 30-min version, a one-pot slow cooker oden, or a vegan oden if you want 😏.
Do you want me to do one of those versions?
