Authentic Oden with Chicken Stock & Bonito-Konbu Dashi - water

Method

• 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!