Hanpen Oden (はんぺんおでん, puffed fish cake stew)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy pot
• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cloth
• •Wooden drop-lid (otoshibuta), or a circle of parchment
• •Small ladle

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dashi

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it. Put it in the cold water and bring it up slowly over low heat, about ten minutes. Pull the konbu when the water trembles and small bubbles climb the sides, before it boils. Add the katsuobushi all at once, take the pot off the heat, and leave it alone for three minutes. Strain through a cloth and let it drip without squeezing, because squeezing presses harsh, oily flavor into the clear stock.

2. 2

   Prepare the daikon

   Round the sharp edges of the daikon slices with a knife if you want them neat, then simmer them in plain water for 15 minutes and drain. This first simmer removes the raw sharpness and helps the daikon drink the oden broth later without clouding it.

3. 3

   Prepare the eggs

   Lower the eggs into simmering water and cook 9 minutes, then cool in cold water and peel. The yolks should be set but not chalky, because they will warm again in the broth.

4. 4

   Cut the konnyaku

   Score the konnyaku lightly in a crosshatch pattern, then cut it into triangles. Blanch it for 2 minutes and drain. Konnyaku carries a faint alkaline smell from its setting process, and blanching clears that away before it meets the dashi.

5. 5

   Season the broth

   Return the strained dashi to a wide pot and add the usukuchi shoyu, mirin, sake, sugar, and salt. Taste it now. It should be clear, gently savory, and a little stronger than a soup, because the daikon, egg, and konnyaku will soften it as they sit.

6. 6

   Simmer the sturdy pieces

   Add the daikon, eggs, and konnyaku to the seasoned broth. Bring it just to a simmer, then lower the heat so the surface barely moves. Rest a wooden drop-lid, otoshibuta, over the pieces, or use a circle of parchment with a small hole in the center. Cook gently for 45 minutes, because a quiet simmer seasons the pieces without toughening the eggs or muddying the broth.

7. 7

   Rest the oden

   Turn off the heat and let the pot rest for at least 20 minutes, or longer if you have time. Simmered dishes season most deeply as they cool in their broth. This is where the daikon becomes itself.

8. 8

   Warm the hanpen

   Bring the broth back until it is hot but not boiling. Lay the hanpen triangles on top in a single layer and warm them for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once if needed. Do not boil them. Hanpen is full of trapped air from the whipped paste, and a rolling boil collapses that lightness into a sodden sponge.

9. 9

   Serve with restraint

   Serve each bowl with one hanpen triangle, a round of daikon, an egg, and a piece of konnyaku, with enough broth to shine around them. Add a small dab of karashi on the side if you like its heat. Don't crowd the bowl. Hanpen is pale and quiet, and it looks best when it has room.

Chef Tips

• •Buy hanpen that feels springy and light, with a clean white color and no sour smell. If it looks gray or tired, change the pot. Nothing in oden hides poor fish paste.
• •For a meatless table, make the stock from konbu and dried shiitake instead of katsuobushi. Soak 10g konbu and 3 dried shiitake in the water overnight, then warm gently and strain. That is temple-kitchen logic, honmono in its own line.
• •Do not add hanpen with the daikon and eggs. It is not laziness that keeps it out until the end, it's respect for its structure.
• •Oden improves after resting, but hanpen does not. Rest the pot without it, then warm the hanpen fresh just before serving.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the dashi up to two days ahead and keep it refrigerated.
• •The daikon, eggs, konnyaku, and seasoned broth can be simmered a day ahead. Cool together, refrigerate, and reheat gently.
• •Cut and add the hanpen only just before serving, because its light texture is the reason for the dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 540g)