HOME Easy Japanese Recipes! Cooking Oden - Japanese Hot Pot (Episode 1) #Izakayanobu
Last updated: 25 May 2018
Welcome to the first of a series of articles spotlighting select Japanese recipes from the new anime series, Isekai Izakaya Nobu! Whether you’re a fan already or have just stumbled upon the show, one thing is for sure: the dishes of gourmet anime Isekai Izakaya ~Koto Aitheria no Izakaya Nobu~ look absolutely amazing! Japanese star chef Ryuta Kijima created simple recipes based on the food served at Izakaya Nobu itself, for you to cook in your own kitchen at home. (Even if you're not a giant anime fan, you're still bound to enjoy these authentic Japanese foods!)
Today, we’re savoring the main dish of the first episode “Potatoes in Oden.” As the name suggests, oden is the star of Nobu’s menu this time! It’s a one-pot dish that is an iconic Japanese winter food recipe and features plenty of ingredients: eggs, daikon, potatoes, and more delights!
During the cold months, Japanese convenience stores sell oden as bowls of different sizes or as individual ingredients, making it a much-beloved snack or meal all throughout Japan. Now, let’s start cooking!
Japanese Oden Daikon Steak
Often seen in many food anime, daikon radish has recently found its way into Western supermarkets - but how to cook with daikon remains somewhat elusive! We think you'll agree that when soaked in a hearty oden broth and then fried or grilled, this curious veggie turns into a delectable dish!
Yield
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients
・2 Oden daikon pieces (*1)
・2 Green onions
・1 tablespoon Salad oil
・10g Butter
・Sauce: 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons cooking sake, 1 teaspoon mirin
This delicious anime recipe comes to life!
Preparation
1) Chop the green onion finely.
2) Use a paper towel to soak up extra soup from your daikon pieces. Put them in an oiled, cold frying pan before turning up the heat.
3) Flip the daikon once they’re golden brown, put a lid on the pan and fry for another 5 minutes on low heat. Then arrange them on a plate.
4) Making the sauce: mix all ingredients for the sauce in the hot pan. Once little bubbles form, add the butter and mix well.
5) Pour the sauce over your daikon steak with a spoon. Top with green onions.
6) Itadakimasu!
*1 Chef Kijima uses daikon that has already been boiled in an oden soup. If you’re in Japan, you can easily buy the daikon readily made at a convenience store or buy oden soup and make it yourself. If you’re not in Japan, simply make oden soup yourself by using dashi soup stock and seasoning it with soy sauce, sake, and sugar. Bring it to a boil, then put the daikon in and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Important: the longer the daikon sits in the soup, the better it tastes! If you have time, turn off the heat and let the daikon swim in the soup for an hour or more.
Side: Japanese Oden-style Potato Salad
At Isekai Izakaya Nobu, potatoes are a rather big topic in the first episode. That’s why Chef Kijima has come up with a special oden-style potato salad! Quickly made, this yummy side dish adds a fun, Japanese kick to your meal!
Yield
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients
・2 Oden potatoes (*2)
・1/4 Onion
・f*ckujinzuke (as much as you like) (*3)
・1 tablespoon French dressing
・2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
・Coarsely-ground black pepper (a pinch)
Preparation
1) Thinly slice the onion vertically, wash with water, dry, and add French dressing. Let it marinate for 5 minutes.
2) Add hot potatoes to the onion and crush them with a fork. Let it cool for a bit.
3) Add mayonnaise and f*ckujinzuke. Mix well.
4) Itadakimasu!
*2 Chef Kijima uses oden-boiled potatoes. Buy or make them the same way as the daikon described above.
*3 f*ckujinzuke are pickled vegetables, a popular Japanese condiment. If you cannot find them in the Asian supermarket of your choice, you can make them yourself. Cut vegetables of your choice (commonly used: daikon, cucumber, eggplant, Lotus root, and so on. Feel free to add “less exotic” veggies such as carrots, white turnip, and ginger.) Boil them in a sauce made of sugar, soy sauce, mirin, sake, and rice vinegar and then cool in the refrigerator.
With these quick and easy recipes, you can bring both the taste and atmosphere of Izakaya Nobu to your own kitchen. And don’t hesitate to enjoy Chef Kijima’s creative creations with a frosty beer!
Isekai Izakaya Nobu – Behind the Scenes of Studio Sunrise and Discovering How Anime Comes to Life
Introducing Oden - Japan's scrumptious winter soul food
Savor Japan's Winter Months with These Unique Comfort Foods!
©蝉川夏哉・宝島社/古都アイテーリア市参事会
*This information is from the time of this article's publication.
*Prices and options mentioned are subject to change.
*Unless stated otherwise, all prices include tax.
FAQs
Oden represents the best of wintertime food in Japan. This classic stew features an assortment of fish cakes simmered in a soy sauce-based dashi broth.
Is oden the same as hot pot? ›
Oden is a Warming and Nourishing Japanese Hot Pot
This dish is known as “oden”, and is a type of a nabemono (hot pot), made of various ingredients cooked in a broth of dashi, soy sauce, sake and mirin.
What is Tokyo style oden? ›
The “original” home of oden, Tokyo-style oden relies heavily on fish cakes and fish-paste-based ingredients, and katsuo-boshi dashi broth. It has a light brown (beef-broth-looking) stock and a soy sauce-forward, sweet taste!
What to eat with oden? ›
The most common dipping sauce is karashi, a slightly spicy Japanese mustard. Another popular dipping sauce is yuzu kosho, a paste made of yuzu fruit and chili peppers. Read more about Yuzu here! Some people also enjoy soy sauce and miso to dip with their oden.
What is the difference between Japanese oden and Korean oden? ›
In South Korea, the loanword odeng (오뎅) borrowed from Japanese oden is a synonym of eomuk (fishcakes). The boiled dish consisting of fishcakes is called by the names such as odeng-tang (오뎅탕) or eomuk-jeongol (어묵전골), with the words such as tang (soup) or jeongol (hot pot) attached to the ingredient name.
Is Japanese oden healthy? ›
Oden is a simple Japanese stew that's light and easily digestible, making it perfect to eat during treatment. Kombu is a type of seaweed used in this recipe, and it is full of minerals.
What is the difference between hot pot and shabu shabu? ›
The main difference between shabu shabu and other types of Japanese hot pot is that rather than simmering all of the ingredients together before serving, shabu shabu is cooked bite-by-bite over the course of the meal, similar to fondue.
What is the difference between Chinese hot pot and shabu shabu? ›
Traditional Chinese hot pot generally comes already loaded with meat, seafood, and vegetables, but with shabu shabu you'll be given plates of meat, vegetables and other items (dumplings and udon, for example) to cook in the broth.
What is the difference between shabu shabu and oden? ›
Shabu Shabu, one of my favorite Japanese meals, is similar to Oden in that the food is cooked in a broth. The difference is that it is made with more fresh ingredients. Typically, shabu shabu consists of leeks, cabbage, mushrooms and meat or fish, tofu, and possibly noodles.
What does oden mean in English? ›
Origin:Norse. Meaning:Inspiration; Rage; Frenzy. Derived from the Old Norse Óðinn, meaning "inspiration,” “rage,” or “frenzy," Oden is a Norse boy's name.
In English, we would describe oden as a soup. Some people would call it a stew, because the ingredients are in large pieces, but the dish is not cooked for many hours like a stew. You can describe it by listing the ingredients, like fish cakes and daikon.
What does the word takoyaki mean? ›
Tako means octopus, and yaki indicates the cooking method, in this case, pan-frying. Sometimes called “octopus balls” in English, takoyaki is made of a takoyaki batter infused with dashi (dried kelp and bonito flakes) filled with diced octopus meat, tempura scraps, pickled ginger, and green onion.
Can you microwave oden? ›
You can warm in microwave oven as well as with boiling water. 3 minutes in the microwave oven to warm or 5 minutes in boiling water.
How long does oden last in the fridge? ›
Oden will actually keep for several days, provided that it is adequately covered, refrigerated, and reheated between servings. If you find yourself running low on broth, simply mix a fresh batch and toss it in a stock pot with your remaining fish cakes and like.
Is oden popular in Japan? ›
Oden is one of Japan's most popular dishes for the winter months. Japan is a country of seasonal changes to nature and cuisine and the most traditional and heart warming meal is oden.
What is special about oden? ›
Oden is a hotpot-style dish with various ingredients simmered in a soy-based broth. The ingredients could be anything from tofu and daikon radish to fish cakes and boiled eggs. The beauty of Oden lies in its simplicity and the way it brings different flavors together in a harmonious and comforting way.
What does odeng taste like? ›
What does Korean fish cake taste like? They are slightly sweet and mild with a hint of fishy but umami packed flavor. A cheap odeng may taste more fishy than a good quality one.
Does oden taste good? ›
On top of having a wonderful taste, oden is also fairly simple to prepare. While all the ingredients, from the broth to fish cakes, can be made from scratch, it is very common to find pre-made “oden sets” in Japanese or general Asian grocery stores.
What was oden boiled in one piece? ›
For their crimes against the shogunate, Oden and his men were sentenced to be executed by being boiled alive. At the time of the execution, a crowd gathered around the execution site where a large pot filled with boiling oil was placed.
