Okinawa Oden (沖縄おでん)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large heavy pot
• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cloth
• •Wooden drop-lid (otoshibuta), or a circle of parchment
• •Tongs or chopsticks for lifting tender tebichi

Instructions

1. 1

   Blanch the pork

   Put the tebichi and pork bones in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Bring to a hard boil and let it roll for 5 minutes, until gray foam rises and the water looks unpleasant. Drain, rinse each piece under warm water, and scrub the pot clean before continuing. This first boil removes blood and loose protein, so the finished broth tastes clean instead of barnyard-heavy.

2. 2

   Start the broth

   Return the washed tebichi and bones to the clean pot with 3 liters cold water and the konbu. Bring it up slowly over low to medium heat. When the water trembles and small bubbles climb the sides, lift out the konbu. Boiling konbu gives bitterness and a slick edge, and this broth already has pork for weight. We want clarity, not heaviness.

   Wipe konbu with a damp cloth if it looks dusty, but don't wash it. The pale powder on the surface is flavor.
3. 3

   Simmer the tebichi

   Bring the pot to the gentlest simmer, skim any foam that appears, then add the awamori or sake. Cook partly covered for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, keeping the surface barely moving. A hard boil breaks fat into the broth and makes it cloudy; a quiet simmer melts the collagen until the tebichi turns tender and the broth gains body without losing its clean taste.

4. 4

   Add katsuo

   When the tebichi is tender enough that a chopstick meets little resistance, turn off the heat. Add the katsuobushi all at once and leave it for 3 minutes, no stirring. Strain the broth through a fine sieve or cloth into a clean pot, then return the tebichi to the broth and discard the bones and flakes. Let the bonito drip on its own. Squeezing presses harsh, oily flavors into the stock, which is a poor reward for impatience.

5. 5

   Prepare the vegetables

   While the pork simmers, boil the daikon rounds in plain water for 15 to 20 minutes, until a skewer enters but the centers still feel firm. Drain them. Parboiling daikon keeps its raw sharpness from taking over the oden broth, and it helps the seasoning enter evenly later.

6. 6

   Treat the konnyaku

   Score the konnyaku lightly in a shallow crosshatch, cut it into triangles, and boil it in plain water for 3 minutes. Drain well. This removes its alkaline smell and roughens the surface a little, so it carries broth instead of sitting in the pot like a polite rubber eraser.

7. 7

   Season the pot

   Add the usukuchi shoyu, regular soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and salt to the strained pork-katsuo broth. Taste it before the other ingredients go in. It should be gently salty, not strong, because the daikon, tofu, eggs, and konnyaku will sit in it and drink slowly. Add the daikon, eggs, tofu, konnyaku, and fish cakes.

8. 8

   Set the oden

   Rest a wooden drop-lid, otoshibuta, on the surface, or use a circle of parchment with a small hole in the center. Simmer very gently for 45 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the pot rest 30 minutes if you have the time. The drop-lid keeps the pieces submerged without stirring, and the rest is when the seasoning settles into the center of the daikon and eggs.

9. 9

   Finish with greens

   Just before serving, bring the pot back to a gentle simmer and add the shima-nā or mustard greens. Cook only 2 to 3 minutes, until the leaves turn deep green and tender. Add them early and they lose their color and become tired; add them at the end and the whole pot wakes up.

10. 10

    Serve simply

    Place one piece of tebichi, a daikon round, tofu, egg, konnyaku, fish cake, and greens into each bowl, then ladle over enough broth to shine around them. Serve karashi mustard on the side. Don't flood the bowl and don't pile it high. Oden is chosen piece by piece, and each one deserves room.

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for split pig's feet if you can. Split tebichi gives up collagen more evenly and becomes tender sooner; whole pieces work, but they ask for more time.
• •If the broth tastes flat, add a little more katsuo-rich dashi or salt in small amounts. Don't darken it with too much soy sauce. Okinawa oden should taste porky and clear, not like a soy stew.
• •Use shima-nā if you can find it. Komatsuna or mustard greens are sensible stand-ins, but spinach is too soft for the pot and turns weary before the tebichi is ready.
• •Oden improves after resting. The daikon and eggs take seasoning slowly, like students who pretend not to listen and then remember everything.
• •Karashi is a condiment, not a blanket. A small dab beside the bowl gives bite without hiding the broth.

Advance Preparation

• •Blanch the pork and simmer the pork-katsuo broth one day ahead. Chill it overnight, then lift off any set fat from the surface before seasoning the oden.
• •The completed oden can be made several hours ahead and rested off the heat. Rewarm it gently so the broth stays clear and the tofu doesn't toughen.
• •Add the greens only just before serving. Their color and clean bitterness are best when fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 850g)