Oden (Japanese Dashi Simmered Pot)

Method

1. Peel the daikon thickly, cut it into 3 cm rounds, shave a thin strip off the sharp edges and score a 1 cm deep cross into one side. Cover with cold water in a pot, bring to the boil over high heat, then simmer over medium heat for 15 min, until a skewer slides in easily; drain and rinse. Bevelling the edges stops the rounds crumbling during the long simmer.

   Add in this stepDaikon radish 300 g

   high heat→medium heat

2. Gently lower the eggs into boiling water and cook over high heat for 10 min, then cool them in cold water and peel.

   Add in this stepEggs 2

   high heat

3. Cut the konnyaku into bite-size triangles, score both faces in a fine crosshatch and blanch in boiling water over high heat for 3 min to remove its natural smell. Put the fish cakes in a colander and pour boiling water over them to rinse off surface oil; halve any large ones.

   Add in this stepKonnyaku (konjac) block 125 g

   high heat

4. Make the dashi: put the water and kombu in a pot (soak for 30 minutes if you have time) and heat slowly over medium-low heat for 10 min. When tiny bubbles rise from the bottom and it is just about to boil, lift out the kombu, add the katsuobushi, turn off the heat, wait 2 minutes, then strain. Cut the softened kombu into 2 cm wide strips and tie each into a knot.

   Add in this stepWater 1,000 mlKombu (dried kelp) 8 gKatsuobushi (bonito flakes) 10 g

   medium-low heat

5. In a 20 cm pot, combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, salt and sugar, then add the daikon, eggs, konnyaku and kombu knots. Simmer over medium-low heat for 30 min, so the surface only trembles; a rolling boil turns the broth cloudy. Turn off the heat and leave it for 1 h: the flavour soaks right in as it cools.

   Add in this stepUsukuchi (light-coloured) soy sauce, or regular soy sauce 2 tbspMirin 2 tbspSalt ½ tspSugar 1 tsp

   medium-low heat

6. Before eating, return the pot to medium-low heat, add the fish cakes and heat for 8 min. Fish cakes go in last because long boiling puffs them up and leaches out their flavour. Taste and add a little more salt if needed.

   Add in this stepAssorted Japanese fish cakes (chikuwa, satsuma-age, fish balls) 240 g

   medium-low heat

7. Bring the pot to the table or ladle everything into bowls with plenty of broth, and serve with the karashi to dab on a little at a time.

   Add in this stepKarashi (Japanese hot mustard) or English mustard 1 tsp