Classic Japanese Oden Recipe - Warm Your Soul with This Traditional Hot Pot!

Hello everyone and welcome back to our channel. Today we are making Oden, a traditional Japanese hot pot dish. Think of it as Japan's answer to pot-au-feu, where you can enjoy a variety of ingredients simmered in a flavorful broth. Oden is versatile and you can add almost anything to it, making it a fun dish to experiment with. We'll be using some recommended ingredients, but feel free to get creative. So let's start cooking. Start by preparing the ingredients for the Oden. If you are using root vegetables, pre-boil them so they cook evenly with the other ingredients. We are using daikon radish, cutting it into 2 cm thick slices and making crosswise cuts for better flavor absorption. Boil the daikon until soft. If using dried kombu, soak it in boiled water for about 5 minutes. Regarding kombu, it's commonly used for making dashi, like a Japanese soup stock, but in Oden, we eat as is. It's stickier and chewier than wakame seaweed, offering a satisfying texture. Simmering kombu in Oden also enhances the broth flavor. If you can find kombu tied specifically for Oden, I recommend using it. For fish cakes and fried tofu, pour hot water over them to remove excess oil. This step helps to remove any industrial oil used in processing, reducing any unwanted smell and making them more delicious to eat. Prepare boiled eggs. Make mochi pouches using fried tofu. Roll the tofu around chopsticks to make it easier to open. Once you've sufficiently rolled the fried tofu without tearing it, cut it in half and open the pouch. Fill it with mochi and cabbage. Hold it accordion style and use a toothpick to seal it close. While cabbage is optional, I recommend adding it as it makes a delicious addition. In a pot, combine all ingredients except salt and bring to a boil. Season with salt while tasting. Add pre-boiled daikon, konnyaku, tied kombu, boiled egg, other fish cakes, and ingredients of your choice to the broth. Simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes. Enjoy the rich flavorful broth that spread in your mouth. We didn't have it this time, but Japanese mustard is a recommended condiment. Oden is versatile and you might find ingredients like tomato or potato in it nowadays. Experiment with different ingredients. Let's look over what we used today. Thank you for joining us in making this traditional oden. While some ingredients might be unique to Japan, don't worry if you can't find them all. Oden is incredibly adaptable, so feel free to use whatever you have on hand. We hope you enjoy trying out this recipe and experimenting with different ingredients. If you like this video, don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more delicious Japanese recipes. Stay tuned for more cooking fun and see you next time. Bye-bye!