Japanese Hot Pot / Oden

Since the rest of the family doesn't share my desire to eat Korean stew every day, I've been wanting to try a Japanese-type stew as a compromise. I got excited when I read this Oden recipe from Just One Cookbook, because the broth and method seemed to match what I was looking for. I've made it twice so far: once with the traditional fish cakes and hard boiled eggs, and once just with tofu and vegetables.

I kept the original recipe's instructions for the broth, and I also kept their additions of daikon radish (because I still have about 15 in the ground from this fall's garden), kombu, and green onion. To that, I added some shredded cabbage, sliced zucchini, and soft tofu in the one without fish cakes, all of which makes it feel a bit more like the Korean stews that I crave. The full array of fish cakes was a bit too much for me, but I think it would be perfect to have just one small package of fish cakes together with tofu and vegetables. The eggs were really good in this, too.

I'm excited to experiment with more variations on this one.

The Recipe:
Broth:
4 c dashi broth
3 tb soy sauce
1 tb sake
1/2 tb mirin
1/2 tb sugar
pinch of salt

Additions:
1 medium-small daikon radish, sliced into half moons
1 small piece kombu
2 green onions, sliced
other vegetables: cabbage, zucchini, other?
protein: fish cakes, tofu, and/or hard boiled eggs
Rice, for serving

Place broth ingredients, kombu, and sliced radish in pot. Bring to boil, then simmer covered on low for 30 minutes.
If using deep-fried fish cakes or tofu, boil these separately for 1 minute to remove some of the oil, then drain.
Add green onions, fish cake, tofu, and eggs. Simmer covered on low for another 30 minutes.
Turn off heat and let rest for 1 hour, or let it cool and put it in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheat for 15 minutes, adding the remaining vegetables a few minutes before serving.
Serve with a side of rice.

The Verdict:

Overall grade: A-

Overall reason: Easy, healthy, versatile. Good flavor but not as interesting as Korean stews.

Time to prepare: 15 minutes of work, but 90 minutes of cooking and an hour of cooling in between.

Toddler quote: "RICE CAKE!?" "No, fish cake." "Fish cake." (30 seconds later...) "RICE CAKE!?"

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