Oden

Oden is a cherished traditional Japanese dish that belongs to the nabemono category. It features an assortment of ingredients like boiled eggs, daikon radish, konjac, and fishcakes, all simmered in a delicate, soy-flavored dashi broth. Originally known as misodengaku or dengaku, the dish initially involved boiling konjac or tofu with miso before evolving into its current form, utilizing a dashi-based broth.

You can find oden sold from food carts, izakayas (Japanese pubs), and specialized oden restaurants, each offering a diverse range of ingredient combinations that make every bowl unique. Although oden is typically regarded as a winter comfort food, some vendors serve it year-round. Many restaurants use a master stock broth that they keep simmering for extended periods, allowing the flavors to deepen and mature.

Different regions in Japan have their own interpretations of oden. In Nagoya, the dish, called Kantō-ni, features soy sauce dipping sauce with a Hatchomiso broth for simmering. The Kansai version, known as Kanto-daki, is characterized by its bolder flavor. Shizuoka's oden is made with a dark broth enriched with beef stock, and the ingredients are often skewered and topped with dried fish and aonori powder. In the Kagawa Prefecture, located in Shikoku, oden is commonly served as a side dish with sweet miso, often accompanying udon noodles.

Oden's popularity extends beyond Japan. In China, it is marketed as haodun, which translates to "good pot." In South Korea, the dish is known as odeng (a term borrowed from Japanese) and typically refers to fishcakes. These are served in dishes like odeng-tang or eomuk-jeongol, often in a spicy broth from street vendors or specialized eateries. Taiwan also embraced oden during Japanese rule, where it is known as olen in Hokkien and hēilún in Mandarin. Taiwanese versions might include local ingredients such as pork meatballs and blood puddings, along with traditional oden components. Convenience stores in Taiwan commonly offer oden under the name guāndōngzhǔ.