Go Back
–+ servings

Oden (Japanese Winter Stew)

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 4 portions

Ingredients 
 

Gyusuji

  • 500 g beef tendon (sinew)
  • water for boiling
  • 1000 ml water for broth
  • 1 Japanese leek (naganegi) green part
  • 20 g ginger root

Oden soup

Basic Ingredients (more mentioned in post)

  • 300 g daikon radish
  • 4 boiled egg
  • fishcakes of your choice see in post
  • deep fried tofu (atsuage) or firm tofu
  • Japanese mustard (karashi) optional

Instructions 

Gyusuji

  • Bring a pot of water to the boil and add 500 g beef tendon (sinew). Boil for a few minutes to remove the excess fat and scum.
    washing beef sinew in a pot of boiling water
  • After a few minutes have passed, pour the sinew into a colander to drain and wash the beef sinew under clean running water. 
    washed beef sinew in a sieve over a steel bowl
  • Fill the pot again with approximately 1000 ml water (or enough to cover the beef by 1-2cm) and bring it to a boil.
    beef sinew in a pot of water on the stove
  • While you wait for the water to heat up, cut the beef sinew into strips.
    beef sinew cut into bitesize pieces on a wooden chopping board
  • Once boiling, turn the heat down to simmer and add 1 Japanese leek (naganegi), 20 g ginger root and the beef sinew. Simmer for 1 hour without a lid. (Add more water when necessary to ensure the beef is always submerged.)
    beef sinew, green onion and ginger in water in a pot on the stove
  • After one hour, remove the beef sinew and set it aside to cool. Discard the spring onion and ginger but save the broth. Continue to simmer the broth without a lid until reduced by one-third.
    oden broth in a large pot on the stove
  • When the beef is cool to the touch, push the pieces onto skewers. (Approximately 100g per skewer)
    beef sinew pushed onto bamboo skewers on a wooden chopping board

Prepare the Daikon

  • Peel the skin of 300 g daikon radish and cut into thick rounds. Score one side with a cross, about 1cm deep. 
    daikon radish peeled and cut into rounds, scored with a cross on a wooden chopping board
  • Boil in a separate pot until it's easy to pierce (about 15 minutes).
    scored rounds of daikon radish simmering in a pot of water

Oden

  • Take a large pot and add 1 liter dashi stock and 100ml of the leftover broth from the beef sinew. Add 2 tbsp sake, ½ tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp mirin, 5 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) and 1 tbsp oyster sauce to the broth. Bring it to a boil and let it boil for 2-3 minutes. 
    dashi in a black hot pot on the stove
  • Turn the heat down to simmer and add the daikon, 4 boiled egg and gyusuji skewers. (You should also add any other firm ingredients at this point.)
    daikon radish and beef sinew skewers in oden broth in a black pot on the stove
  • Simmer for about 30 minutes and then fishcakes of your choice, deep fried tofu (atsuage) and any other soft ingredients you choose. Simmer for another 15 minutes.
    Oden with beef sinew skewers, daikon, boiled eggs, tofu, kamaboko (fishcakes), konnyaku and various Japanese fishcakes
  • Serve up and enjoy with Japanese mustard (karashi). 

Notes

  • Allow leftovers to cool and store in the refrigerator. Warm up on the stove before eating and consume within 2 days.
  • Note: While the nutritional information includes the full serving of broth, most people in Japan don't actually finish all the soup.