Japanese Oden

Ingredients

• 4 cups dashi stock
• 1 cup water
• 2 strips dried kombu, tied into knots
• 1 large daikon radish, cut into thick rounds
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 100g konnyaku, scored and cut into triangles
• 400g assorted fish cakes and fish balls
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sake
• 2 tbsp mirin
• Japanese mustard (karashi), to serve
• Shichimi togarashi, to serve

Before you cook

• Peel the daikon and cut it into thick rounds, then bevel the edges so they hold their shape while simmering.
• Peel the hard-boiled eggs.
• Score the konnyaku lightly and cut it into triangles.
• Rinse the fish cakes and fish balls under running water and pat them dry.

Steps

1. Pour the dashi and water into a large pot and add the kombu knots.
2. Bring the pot to a gentle boil.
3. Add the daikon rounds.
4. Lower the heat and simmer until the daikon is just becoming tender, about 20 minutes.
5. Add the hard-boiled eggs and the konnyaku.
6. Add the fish cakes and fish balls.
7. Stir in the soy sauce, sake and mirin.
8. Simmer everything gently on low heat for about 15 minutes, without letting the broth boil hard.
9. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning if needed.
10. Ladle the oden into deep bowls, making sure each bowl gets a piece of daikon, egg, fish cake and konnyaku.
11. Serve hot with a small dab of karashi mustard and a sprinkle of togarashi on the side.