[About Oden]
I would like to say “Standard winter oden,” but the lifespan of oden has been extending year by year, and it can now be enjoyed for quite a long period at convenience stores. The peak sales period is not mid-winter, but rather October to November, when it starts getting cold. Perhaps younger people do not have the image of oden as a home-cooked hot pot or a winter food. At the convenience store entrance visible from our showroom, the word “Oden” is prominently displayed, and I sometimes wonder if visitors from overseas are also eating Japanese oden.
There are unique yet similar dishes, mainly in Asian countries like South Korea and Taiwan, which have had cultural exchanges with Japan. In South Korea, what is called “eomuk,” which often appears in dramas, is a standard street food made of thin, flat fish cakes skewered on sticks. They are simmered in a light broth made of dried sardines or kelp, and there is even a spicy version called “maeun oden” seasoned with chili peppers. In Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia, it is known as “yong tau foo,” a healthy local food where tofu or vegetables stuffed with fish paste are blanched and served with soup or sauce. In Japan, you can enjoy differences in ingredients and seasoning depending on the region. There is a variety of seasonings, such as “gyu-suji” in the light-flavored oden of Kansai, “miso oden” in Nagoya, and “kuro oden” in Kyushu using sweet soy sauce. And I recently learned for the first time that “chikuwabu” is overwhelmingly popular in Kanto but hardly eaten in Western Japan.
In Nihonbashi, quite close to our showroom, there is a long-established oden ingredient shop called Kanmon's Kanmo that I highly recommend. They are particularly particular about their “hanpen,” using a golden ratio blend of fresh, non-frozen blue shark and blue whaler shark, which craftsmen knead for 45 minutes in a stone mill and shape by hand using wooden molds. It is characterized by its fluffy texture and rich umami. It is excellent in oden, of course, but also delicious on its own with wasabi soy sauce. Besides hanpen, I also recommend “Takozou,” where you can see cute octopus legs, and the large “Ebi-shinjo.” By adding a few luxurious oden ingredients from Kanmon's Kanmo to your usual affordable ones, you can enjoy a feast of oden with more elegance and volume than usual.
At home, I regularly use Ceramic Japan's “do-nabe.” With its clean design and sense of stability, it can be stored stacked, making it very easy to take in and out, so I use it very frequently. I like the recessed design without protruding handles and the size, which is not too deep, making it easy to wash in the sink. For our family, oden is the perfect hot pot dish because you can eat it whenever you want without waiting for everyone to come home! This winter, the sight of the do-nabe on the gas stove is becoming a permanent fixture.
Ceramic Japan's do-nabe L
https://www.shokunin.com/en/ceramicjapan/donabe.html
Showroom Information
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/
Kanmon's Kanmo
https://www.hanpen.co.jp/
References
https://tokyu-furusato.jp/m/blog/staff/selections-oden/
https://odendane.com/oden-world-naming/
https://www.hanpen.co.jp/user_data/about/
