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oden

torakris

By torakris
in Japan: Cooking & Baking

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torakris

torakris

Posted
Posted

Oden is a wonderful dish, filled with almost anything your heart desires yet usually focused on fish paste cakes.

Oden is most popular as a winter food stall item, though there are odenya (oden restaurants) that serve it all year round), it is also the only hotpot that is equally popular in the summer. It is one of the main foods offered at food stalls at Japanese beaches and during summer festivals.

For a comical look at oden check out the following site:

http://www.amychavez.addr.com/news/coax/

Oden was the topic of the TV Champion show last week, where they were searching for the best oden stall in Japan, the winner besides including the regular offferings of fish paste cakes, daikon, eggs, konnyaku and beef gristle had apples and bananas in his pot as well.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

Jinmyo

Jinmyo

Posted
Posted
Konnyaku, often mistaken for "lint on linoleum," has very few calories. This becomes apparent as soon as you taste it.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

torakris

torakris

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Okay Jin we all know how you feel about konnyaku! :biggrin:

But it just isn't oden without it!

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

margaret

margaret

Posted
Posted

I have nothing but bad feelings for winter and cold weather in general, but a good pot of oden and a steaming atsukan once in a while are enough to get me through. Unfortunately, there are very few places in New York that serve it, and only one authentic-feeling yatai-style place that I know of. Bah.

Jinmyo

Jinmyo

Posted
Posted

I love fish cake in the same way that I love European sausages. :smile:

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

Akiko

Akiko

Posted
Posted

I've never had mochi in my oden... that sounds wonderful... steaming broth, fish cakes!, fish balls/meat balls, I too am a very happy camper. Especially if you give me lots of yellow mustard to eat it with.

I'm really missing japanese 7/11 now... the one around the corner from my apartment in Japan made surprisingly, very good oden and was often my dinner in the winter months.

mmm, oden broth

Amedama on the Go Go!
BON

BON

Posted
Posted

What do you put for DASHI when you cook oden yourself?

I like oxtail in addition to dried bonito and kombu, though

it is not at all usual. :cool:

torakris

torakris

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
What do you put for DASHI when you cook oden yourself?

I like oxtail in addition to dried bonito and kombu, though

it is not at all usual. :cool:

BON that is the way I like it!

I am not a big fan of meats , especially chicken, in my oden but oxtails can really hit the spot!

Mochi? I have never seen that before, need to look for it.

The only thing i don't care for is hanpen and I am not sure how to describe this to anyone who is not familiar with it. It is sort of creamy and spongey all at the same time. gross! :shock:

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

torakris

torakris

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

I think oden is one of those foods that is pretty hard to mess up, I haven't noticed any diference between the stuff purchased in the supermarkets, convenience stores, street stalls, beaches, etc.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

torakris

torakris

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

The atmosphere is better than the 7-11 isn't it? :biggrin:

sort of like eating ramen at a ramen shop vs making it by yourself at home.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

margaret

margaret

Posted
Posted

Mochi in oden is great! I've only had it as mochi kinchaku, wrapped in fried tofu skin. You have to eat it fast, though, before the broth has time to cool, or else it gets kind of hard. It's a killer on the teeth.

Akiko

Akiko

Posted
Posted

Hanpen... oooh, you just gave me the shivers. Hate that stuff, my mom always insisted in putting in her soups... couldn't leave it in your bowl, we were made to eat everything.

Like corrugated cardboard left to soak for a long time, until it gets a spongy texture just for you to eat.

Amedama on the Go Go!
torakris

torakris

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

a popular way to eat hanpen is to slice a whole in the middle and place a piece or processed cheese inside, then fry it in a frypan sort of like a grilled cheese sandwich.

EEEWWWW!! :shock:

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

tissue

tissue

Posted
Posted
Hanpen... oooh, you just gave me the shivers.  Hate that stuff, my mom always insisted in putting in her soups... couldn't leave it in your bowl, we were made to eat everything.

Like corrugated cardboard left to soak for a long time, until it gets a spongy texture just for you to eat.

Yeah I hate hanpen too....

BON

BON

Posted
Posted

Seems hanpen is not popular... I am wondering why?

It does not have strong character in taste. Texture?

torakris

torakris

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

texture and complete lack of taste for me.

I have tried using it in various ways (becasue it is really popular in Japan, especially with kids) but have always been disappointed.

My kids don't even like it.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

  • 1 year later...
melonpan

melonpan

Posted
Posted

i am curious about the fish paste.

is the fish paste in general called oden? is kamaboko an oden? or is kamaboko kamaboko?

i ADORE fish cakes of any kind. BUT i almost never eat them. i have had so many bad experiences with freezer burn flavor in fish cake. i will eat kamaboko, though. if i could get fresher oden reliably, then i am sure i would be eating it weekly. actually odeng doesnt even have to be fresh. it just cant have that freezer burn flavor. is it possible to make this yourself? ive never heard of it, but im willing to try once. maybe all you need is a good food processor? anyone?

the local market has been selling fishcake in stick form. it is the size of a popsicle and is skewered onto a flat bamboo stick. i dont remember the name of the item, however. it seems very similar to the photo of gobomaki mentioned. there were strips of gobo and carrot in it. there were a couple other of these sticks too. one had strips of ginger and another kind had chopped scallions and i think octopus. i didnt want to try it but my husband really dug it and told me that they tasted really fresh... and they tasted wonderful! a fun snack. ill try to find out the name of the item.

also, my husband is in the habit of calling some oden "tempura" and he claimed that his parents called it that too. i didnt believe it until i saw it packaged as tempura at the korean market:

<center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041019odeng.jpg">

<img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041019odeng2.jpg"></center>

are some varieties also called tempura in japan?

its a bit confusing for me. i just call it all odeng.

"Bibimbap shappdy wappdy wap." - Jinmyo
melonpan

melonpan

Posted
Posted

also i would like to add that i will be trying hanpen for first time during my next nabe session.

maybe i will fill the center with some slices of american cheese that have been languishing in the fridge for a couple months (that stuff never goes bad!!) :shock:

i am curious about hanpen!

"Bibimbap shappdy wappdy wap." - Jinmyo
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