Oden

Oden is a kind of stew that various foods are cooked in a soup. We usually eat during wintertime as they should be served hot. I introduce the basic oden. You can change, add, or remove any ingredients except soup ingredients.

Konjac can be strings, cakes, or tied. There are many types of fried fish cakes called “nerimono”. You can add any “nerimono” but you need to soak in a hot water to remove excess oils before cook in a soup. The white fish cake called “hanpen” should be added to the soup only before serve. You don’t need to cook long.

Ingredients
<Soup>
Water　　　　　　　　　1,400㏄
Dried fish (niboshi)　　　　10pcs
Konbu　　　　　　　　　10㎝ x 10cm sheet
Dried shiitake mushroom　1pc
Sugar　　　　　　　　　45㏄
Mirin　　　　　　　　　　45㏄
Soya-bean sauce　　　　120㏄

<food>
Boiled egg
White Japanese radish
Konjac (cake)
Konjac strings (shira-taki)
Nerimono
Mochi in abura-age

How to cook
1. Remove head and belly of dried fish (niboshi). Put all the soup ingredients in a large pan. Cook for 15 minutes at low heat. Remove bubbles.
2. Take out konbu, dried shiitake mushrooms, and dried fish. Add soya-bean sauce, sugar, and mirin. This is the soup.
3. Peel skin of the radish. Slice to 2cm thickness. Cut if you like. Boil 5 minutes in a water. Drain and then add to the soup to cook.
4. Cut konjac cake into triangles. Boil in a hot water for a few minutes. Drain and then add to the soup.
5. Soak nerimono in a hot water. Drain and then add to the soup.
6. Remove shells of boiled eggs. Add to the soup.
7. Cook all the foods in the soup for about 2 hours with low heat and cover the pan.
8. Serve with Japanese mustard “karashi”.