Every Broth You Take

The guide to oden in Japan

In the vast landscape of Japanese cuisine, many have made it onto the global stage. There are sushi shops in Nairobi, sashimi merchants in Rome, and ramen peddlers in Lima. Yet, an entire seasonal staple has been widely ignored by the rest of the world, despite its immense popularity within the islands of Japan. I speak of oden, the mainstay of winter.

Only until hitting the dreary season of winter in Japan did I notice oden everywhere.

Every food you make

If you’re like anything like me, the word oden only conjures up thoughts of a 7 footer who became a famous NBA draft bust. In Japan, the definition is slightly different. It is a simple dish, a boiled broth that includes various mid-float items. Yet, I have struggled to put a more precise definition precisely due to the many options that an oden can include.

There are mainstay items that most oden’s worth their salt will include. In descending order of most common to least necessary:

1. Konyakku

2. Egg

3. Chikuwa

4. Daikon

5. Kombu

6. Tofu

7. Potatoes

8. Satsuma-age

9. Sardines

10. Whatever you most desire

Every boil you bake

Seen as a flavourless machine designed to most efficiently heat whatever sustenance you’ve foraged, very few people go to a restaurant and ask for their food boiled. Suffice to say, boiled foods do not have a good reputation. So why has Japan done differently?

Without further ado… introducing the lead performers in this season’s production of Oden!

Let’s start with the broth. Broth is a soupy substance that becomes dashi that involves even more Japanese ingredients, including kombu and katsuobushi. If you haven’t already, check out my two articles on kombu and katsuobushi.

Never flaking on flavour

Japan's Kombu-nience store

With these two in place, the broth can be made. Think of this like the setting for a great movie. This shapes the look and feel of the dish, but if it’s all that you notice, then it’s going to be pretty boring. So we need actors, and lots of them.

Konyakku

If you’re looking for a star, Konyakku is not the ingredient to go for. Perhaps more of the rotating cast of extras who provide texture but shouldn’t be relied on to carry the film. If it’s the first time you’re hearing of konyakku, it is a jelly made from the konjac plant. Chewier than the gelatin-based jelly of the West, it does not hold much flavour, generally just picking up whatever is in the dashi broth. For the oden, they are usually noodle-like and are a staple depth adder. You might not notice it when they are there, but you will notice them if they are missing.

If somehow, this description has you mouthwatering for some konyakku, I have good news for your visit to Japan. There inexplicably exists a Konyakku Park which is a theme park about this ingredient. While I have not attended, I have heard that it is basically a devoted location to learn all about the harvesting and creation of konyakku. Stay tuned for future visits.

Egg

So this ingredient is pretty self-explanatory. The egg is hard-boiled and bobbles around. In a movie, they are the serious character actor who has been in about a billion other shows but always puts in a great performance. Stick them with any role and you’re normally guaranteed a good scene.

Chikuwa

One of the leading members of the dish, chikuwa has the credentials to lead any performance. While they are gracing this home production of oden as a member of an ensemble, they have led their own deep-fried one-man stage shows. So who are they?

Made from a combination of surimi (mashed fish also known as fish paste), and flour, chikuwa is custom designed for Oden. This fish cake went through an extensive audition to feature in this dish, and has been chosen not only for their rich flavour profile. They were analysed and selected specifically for their shape, size, and colour. Luckily, this is above board as they are a food item, not an actual actor.

Satsuma-age:

Fishcake, we meet again. Satsuma-age (or Hanpen, depending where you’re from) is made of very similar base ingredients as the above chikuwa. Both would be broadly categorised as “Japanese fish cake” in any Western supermarket. Just like how all vaguely Asian stars in Hollywood are doomed to the moniker of “that Asian actor”. For the easy guide to distinguish between the two (that doesn’t involve the intricate ratios of fish to flour and specific spices), Satsuma-age is previously deep fried, with a golden brown colour. Chikuwa is usually made into a roll and boiled as is, so they are white and sometimes marbled. For your oden though, the move is to just get both.

Daikon:

What can we say about daikon that hasn’t already been said? Quite a lot, actually. Big by nature, daikon is characterised by its texture and look. Daikon directly would translate to Big Root, which is a fitting description of this ingredient. Big and a root. Typecast as a simple texture bump, daikon is used almost exclusively to add crunch to dishes without it. Think of them like a budget Danny Trejo; looks big and scary, but is usually only there to add enforcer energy.

Tofu, Potatoes, Sardines, and Misc:

These characters are all welcome additions but not necessarily the focus of the show. Think of them like the 6th-20th billed actors in a Wes Anderson film. They’ve been the star of other dishes but here they are just a recognisable face that adds their own little twist. There does come a point where overload can occur, so keeping your oden ingredients to around 5-10 is recommended.

Once you’ve assembled your setting and cast, putting on a show is easy. Simply boil water and add ingredients. Now you’ve got an oden cooking. Maybe the reason this has become such a beloved comfort food in Japan is that everyone has access to it. Even the famed conbini will stock fresh oden as soon as winter begins.

Unlike other foods, every oden has very similar classic ingredients, so the line between luxury and basic is very small. There is a universality to the dish that allows everyone to create that same warm feeling.