Oden, a winter cuisine...

Oden Stand
Originally uploaded by Leacyy.

Oden (おでん) is a Japanese winter dish consisting of several ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon (radish), konnyaku (paste kinds of potato) and processed fish cakes stewed in a light, soy-flavoured dashi broth. Ingredients vary according to region and between each household. Karashi (Japanese mustard) is often used as a condiment.

Oden was originally what is now commonly called Misodengaku or simply Dengaku; konnyaku or tofu was boiled and one ate them with miso (soybean paste). Later, instead of using miso, ingredients were cooked in dashi and oden became popular.

Unlike most one pot dishes, ingredients can be added at any time. Oden is often sold from food carts, and most Japanese convenience stores (and even vending machines) have simmering oden pots in winter. Many different kinds of oden are sold, with single-ingredient varieties as cheap as 50 yen.

Regional variations

In Nagoya, it may be called Kanto-ni (関東煮) and soy sauce is used as a dipping sauce.

In kansai area they are sometimes called Kantō-daki (関東炊き) and tend to be stronger flavoured than the lighter Kanto version.

Oden in Shizuoka use a dark coloured broth flavoured with beef stock and dark soy sauce, and all ingredients are skewered. Dried and ground fish (sardine, mackerel, or skipjack tuna) and aonori powder (edible seaweed) are sprinkled on top before eating.

List of Popular Ingredients

• Boiled eggs
• Chikuwabu - gluten tubes. Popular in Kanto, virtually unknown elsewhere.
• Sliced Daikon
• Gyusuji - beef tendons
• Ito Konnyaku
• Konnyaku
• Kabocha, Japanese pumpkins
• Potato
• Taco, octupus
• Tsukune, fish or meat ball
  
• Tebichi - pig trotters, only in Okinawa