Authentic Oden with Chicken Stock & Bonito-Konbu Dashi

Add 2 liters of water to a pot and add the hidaka kombu. Let it soak for 1 or more hours. If possible, let it soak overnight.

Chicken wings and drumettes will be used to add extra flavor to the dashi. Even if you omit the other fillings, these 2 are a must!

Place the chicken in boiling water and boil thoroughly for 3 minutes.

Place into cold water and wash off any blood and scum.

Boil the eggs and potatoes beforehand. (It's easiest if you pressure cook the daikon for 3 minutes.)

Place 10 g of bonito into a paper pack.

Place the chicken and the bonito into the pot from Step 1.

Right before it begins to boil, remove the kombu seaweed. Without letting it boil heavily, let it simmer for 10 minutes. (It should be gently bubbling.)

Make the sauce in a separate pot. First add the mirin and boil off the alcohol. Since it might burst into flames, be careful. Add in the soy sauce and light soy sauce.

After 10 minutes, remove the bonito from the pot. Taste the flavor and add the sauce from Step 9.

Add the ingredients that take a longer time to absorb the flavor. (Daikon, konnyaku, potatoes, egg, etc.) If it boils too heavily, the sauce will cloudy, so be careful.

Gently rinse off the konbu from Step 8 to get rid of the sliminess. Cut into long thin strips.

Tie the cut strips of konbu into knots and place into the pot. Since cutting the slices and then knotting them is pretty difficult, it's easier to knot the strips and then cut.

Let it simmer for 20 minutes on low heat and then add your choice of paste products. Let it simmer for 10 more minutes and then turn off the heat and let the flavors combine. Warm it up once more right before eating.

Arrange on a dish and accompany with Japanese mustard.

Here are some other tips for making a delicious Oden:

Boil the potatoes with the skins on so that they don't fall apart as easily. They will taste better this way. Use a paring knife to peel the skins while still hot.

Quickly run the ganmodoki and atsuage through hot water so that they will be able to absorb the flavors more easily.

Cut the konnyaku into 10mm thick slices. Cut a slit in the center of each slice and twist. Boil for about 5 minutes to get rid of the smell.

Rounding off the edges of the daikon radish will be easy to do if you use a peeler. If you cook them in a pressure cooker and then let them steam with the residual heat, they will become tender and will absorb the flavors of the oden easier.

If you're adding some aburaage pouches, run them through hot water and then wring out the moisture very well so that the flavors can be absorbed. If you roll a wooden pestle or chopsticks over the aburaage, they will easily become very neat pouches.

You don't need to boil the strips of dried gourd used for the pouches. Sprinkle them with salt and then rinse before using. If you boil them, they will actually thicken and become very soft which will make them hard to work with.

Boil the tendons in water with ginger and the green section of a Japanese leek for 10 minutes to remove the scum. Rinse with water and then steam in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes until tender.

Cut into easy to eat pieces and stick 3 pieces on each skewer. If you stick too many pieces onto one skewer, they won't be able to be well seasoned with the oden liquid.

If you boil oden for a very long time, it will start to fall apart, so quickly boil it and then let it cool. Letting it cool allows the flavors to absorb into the ingredients. Add the hanpen right before eating!

Adding wood ear mushrooms is delicious!