Oden with House-Made Dashi and Multiple Simmered Items

Ingredients

• 10 g Kombu (dried kelp)
• 15 g Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
• 1000 ml Water
• 400 g Daikon radish
• 150 g Konnyaku (konjac cake)
• 2 Eggs
• 200 g Fish cakes (oden mix: chikuwa, satsuma-age, hanpen)
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Mirin
• 2 tbsp Sake
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Karashi (Japanese hot mustard)(optional)
• 1 stalk Green onions (sliced)(optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prep (35 min): Wipe the kombu clean with a damp cloth. Peel the daikon and cut into 3 cm thick rounds; round the edges and score a shallow X on one face. Slice konnyaku into triangles, blanch 2 minutes, and score the surfaces. Boil the eggs for 7 minutes, cool in ice water, and peel. Blanch fish cakes briefly to remove excess oil.

2. 2

   Make the dashi: In a pot, soak the kombu in 1000 ml water for 20 minutes, then heat over medium-low. Remove the kombu just before the water boils, add the katsuobushi, and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve to yield a clear dashi.

3. 3

   Par-cook the daikon: Simmer the daikon rounds in the dashi (or water with rice bran) for 20 minutes until a skewer slides in easily. This removes bitterness and speeds final simmering.

4. 4

   Season the broth: To the dashi add soy sauce, mirin, sake, and salt. Taste and adjust — the broth should be savory but light, Kansai-style.

5. 5

   Simmer the oden (about 90 minutes): Add the daikon first to the seasoned dashi and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Add the konnyaku and eggs, simmer 20 minutes more, then add the fish cakes and simmer another 20–30 minutes so all items absorb the broth. Keep the liquid at a bare simmer; do not boil hard.

6. 6

   Serve: Ladle oden items into bowls with hot broth, top with karashi mustard and sliced green onions. For best flavor, cool in the broth and reheat gently before serving.