Oden (Japanese Fish Cake Stew)

Oden is a study in gentle extraction. The broth starts well-seasoned but simple, and every ingredient it touches either absorbs flavor or contributes its own.

Usukuchi soy sauce is the right choice here rather than regular (koikuchi) soy sauce. It is saltier by volume but lighter in color and flavor, so the broth stays clean and pale. Regular soy sauce would darken the liquid and overpower the delicate fish cake flavors. The combination of usukuchi, mirin, and sake creates a balanced seasoning base that tastes complete without being heavy.

Pre-cooking the daikon in plain water (or rice-rinsing water, which contains starch that helps draw out bitterness) is essential. Raw daikon dropped directly into the broth would release its sharp, sulfurous compounds and muddy the flavor of the entire pot. The cross-scoring on one face increases the surface area exposed to broth, allowing the round to season evenly to its core.

Blanching the konnyaku removes its alkaline smell. Blanching the fish cakes removes the surface oil from commercial deep-frying. Both steps take seconds and make a noticeable difference in the clarity and taste of the finished broth.

The cooling-and-reheating step is not merely traditional advice. As a liquid cools, the thermal gradient between the broth and the solid ingredients reverses, drawing seasoned liquid into porous surfaces through osmotic pressure. Daikon, eggs, and konnyaku all benefit enormously from this process.

Broth: For a vegetarian oden, replace the standard katsuobushi-based dashi with kombu dashi or shiitake-kombu dashi. The broth will be lighter but still carries good umami, especially if you increase the kombu and add a splash of soy sauce. You would also need to omit the fish cakes and use more tofu, konnyaku, daikon, and root vegetables.

Protein additions: Beef tendon (gyusuji) is a popular regional addition, especially in Kansai-style oden. Simmer it separately until tender before adding to the pot. Octopus legs, threaded onto bamboo skewers, are another classic. Ganmodoki (fried tofu and vegetable fritters) absorb broth beautifully and are worth seeking out.

Vegetables: Potatoes, taro, whole peeled tomatoes (a modern convenience-store innovation), and boiled cabbage rolls all work well. Add starchy vegetables earlier in the process so they have time to cook through.

Regional styles: Nagoya-style oden uses a miso-based broth, much darker and sweeter. Shizuoka-style threads all ingredients onto bamboo skewers, simmers them in a beef-tendon-enriched dark broth, and finishes with a dusting of dried sardine and aonori powder.

If you cannot find an oden set: Purchase individual fish cakes from a Japanese or Korean grocery store. A combination of chikuwa, satsuma-age, and any fish balls will approximate the variety. Alternatively, increase the daikon, eggs, and tofu components and treat the pot as a simpler, tofu-forward stew similar in spirit to nikujaga but without the meat.

Oden is a meal in itself, ladled into deep bowls with a generous portion of broth and a selection of ingredients. Serve the karashi mustard in a small dish on the side; each person dabs a bit onto each piece before eating. Steamed white rice or a bowl of udon noodles alongside rounds out the meal comfortably.

For a larger spread, oden pairs well with lighter dishes that offer contrast. A clean bowl of miso shiru made with a different miso variety (red, if your oden broth leans toward white dashi) provides a warmer, more concentrated sip between bites. A plate of pickled vegetables or a simple vinegared cucumber salad cuts through the gentle richness.

Leftover oden broth is too good to discard. Strain it, bring it back to a simmer, and cook udon or soba noodles directly in it. The broth will have taken on layers of flavor from every ingredient that sat in it, making a deeply savory noodle soup with almost no additional effort. This is one of those quiet second meals that can be better than the first. It shares the same philosophy as finishing a pot of bak kut teh by cooking noodles or rice in the remaining herbal broth.

Refrigerator: Store the oden in its broth in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The flavors continue to develop as the ingredients rest in the liquid, and many cooks consider day-two oden the best version.

Reheating: Return the oden and broth to a pot and warm gently over medium-low heat. Avoid a hard boil, which will toughen the fish cakes and make the hanpen rubbery. If the broth has reduced or become too salty, add a small amount of dashi or water to adjust.

Freezing: Most oden ingredients do not freeze well. Eggs become rubbery, konnyaku turns spongy and unpleasant, and hanpen loses its airy texture. If you want to freeze leftovers, remove the eggs, konnyaku, and hanpen first. The daikon, fish cakes, and broth freeze acceptably for up to one month.