(For all ingredients, please use organic versions if available)
Serves 3 people
¼ Japanese radish
3 small potatoes
½ konnyaku block
1 deep-fried tofu block
3 strips kelp (25 centimeters each)
3 standard-sized fried tofu pockets
Small amount dried gourd strips
3 rice cakes
3 trefoils
3 grams dried hijiki seaweed
3 dried shiitake mushrooms
¼ carrots
5–7 cups broth
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoons sugar made from beets
Directions (to make the kelp):
- Soak kelp in water for about 1 hour
- Take the soaked kelp and make them into bow shapes (make 3 bows in total)
- Use this soaked water as broth later
- Cut the japanese radish, cut it between 2.5 and 3 centimeters thick (peel the skin, But make sure to keep it because i will use it later)
- Add 5 cups of broth to the clay pot (this broth made from kelp and dried shiitake mushrooms)
- Put in the bows we just made and the sliced japanese radish
- Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes
Directions (to prepare the konnyaku):- Bring water to boil and let it rest
- Cut the konnyaku a thickness of 2 centimeters
- Dip it into the water and bring it to boil
- Once the water begins to boil, stop, transfer it to a strainer and drain the water as much as you can
- Place them into the clay pot together with the other ingredients
- First, we simmer on high heat. Once it begins to boil, you can lower the heat to middle and keep it simmering for 30 minutes
- Peel the skin of the potatoes and soak them in water to prevent they begin to turn brown in color
- When the water is beginning to boil reduce the heat a little
Directions (to make “treasure pouches” for the oden):- Remove the oil from the two types of fried tofu. The purpose is to get rid of the oily smell and to allow the flavored broth to seep into the fried tofu
- Use ½ of the fried tofu pocket which is used for inari sushi (you can cut into half of a regular, fried thin-sliced tofu)
- Boil water
- Dip the deep fried tofu block and fried tofu pocket for an instant
- Once the water comes to a boil rinse well in hot water to get rid of oil, and take them out
- Cover the wet tofu with a paper towel to remove more oil and water
- Cut the vegetables into small pieces for these “treasure pouches.”
- Soak the dried hijiki, shiitake mushrooms, and dried gourd strips in water for about 1 hour
- Cut ¼ of a whole carrot into thin strips
- Take the skin of the japanese radish and cut into strips
- Take the soaked shiitake mushrooms and cut into thin strips
- Remove the stems separately. And cut them into thin strips
- Add the hijiki
- Cut the deep-fried thick tofu and simmer it, cut into two halves. Then slice at an angle to form triangular shapes. Cram this all into [the tofu pockets]
- Put the cutted tofu into the the clay pot
- Seasoning the oden with 1 small tablespoon of sugar, 2 small tablespoons Of salt, 3 large tablespoons of soy sauce
- Keep on simmering for 15 minutes
- Mix all the ingredients (hijiki, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and the skin of the japanese radishes)
- Put them into the tofu pockets
- Use trefoils or parsley to tie the pouches
- Insert the rice cakes into the tofu pockets then take the soaked dried gourd strips and tie them
- Place the potatoes and “treasure pouches” inside the pot
- Place a lid and keep on simmering for about 20 minutes
- Ready to serve