When you say 'Odeng', do you know what kind of traditional Korean food it is? Winter will be coming soon, right? Those of you living in Korea are expected to find many stores selling 'Odeng' during this time. 'Odeng' will be familiar to those who have lived in Korea for a long time, but I think it may be unfamiliar to foreign friends who study, work, or are new to Korea.
In addition to Korean friends, there are quite a few people who enjoy eating warm and delicious odeng in the winter, and there are also many foreign friends who really enjoy odeng. For foreign friends who haven't yet tasted the taste of odeng, I recommend giving it a try. Accordingly, this time, I would like to introduce 'odeng', a traditional Korean food, to you!
Introduction to Odeng
Oden is a soup dish that originated in Japan, and is a dish made by boiling various types of fish cakes in soup along with radish and konjac. Odeng is the Japanese word for the dish itself, but in Korea, oden is used to refer to individual fish cakes used in soup, and the entire soup is called oden soup. Oden is a traditional Japanese food, especially popular during winter.
Source: Foodjang - Odeng hotpot 360g (foodjang.com)
The ingredients of oden vary from region to region. In general, commonly used ingredients include radish, boiled egg, konjac, silk konjac, chikuwa, atsuage, ganmodoki, fried tofu pouch, etc. Ingredients such as Hanpen, beef tendon, carrots, seaweed, taro, potatoes, ginkgo nuts, bamboo shoots, cabbage rolls, mushrooms, tofu, kamaboko, snails, octopus, sausages, chicken, and tomatoes are added according to regional characteristics or personal tastes.
Oden's broth is usually based on dashi made from crab kelp and katsuobushi and seasoned with soy sauce and sugar. To make oden, put the ingredients in the soup and boil them for a while so that the ingredients are soft and the soup soaks in well2. Odeng is usually sold in a large pot or electric heater, and the customer selects the ingredients he wants and puts them in a bowl along with the soup.
In Korea, odeng is widely enjoyed as street food. This food, also called fish cake skewers, is made by putting fish cakes on skewers and dipping them in a spicy red pepper paste-based sauce. Even in Korea, Japanese-style oden soup is made and eaten. You can easily make it by referring to Chef Baek Jong-won's stir-fried odeng recipe ( https://www.10000recipe.com/recipe/6864526 ). This recipe involves frying oden with minced garlic and olive oil, seasoning it with soy sauce and sugar, then adding onions, green onions, and Cheongyang peppers, and finally adding sesame oil for added flavor. It is said to have a spicy yet sweet taste.
Reason for popularity
Odeng is a food that originated in Japan, but has developed uniquely in Korea. In Japan, oden refers to a soup made by boiling fish cakes, radish, and konjac, but in Korea, oden is used to refer to individual fish cakes used in soup, and the entire soup is called oden soup. Korean fish cakes are different from Japanese kamaboko. Korean fish cakes were introduced during the Japanese colonial period, and bean sprouts, which are relatively easy to grow and can be used in soups and stews, became popular before and after the war. In Korea, odeng is widely enjoyed as street food. This food, also called fish cake skewers, is made by putting fish cakes on skewers and dipping them in a spicy red pepper paste-based sauce. In this way, odeng is closely connected to Korean history and culture.
Source: [Korean Table] [Full Video] Fishcake and Odeng, the memory of 100 years #Snowday_Fishcake - YouTube
Odeng is an inexpensive and delicious food. Korea's annual per capita consumption of odeng was 3.6 kg as of 2017, making it the country that consumes the most odeng in the world. Odeng can be enjoyed with a variety of ingredients and sauces. In general, commonly used ingredients include radish, boiled egg, konjac, silk konjac, chikuwa, atsuage, ganmodoki, fried tofu pouch, etc. Ingredients such as Hanpen, beef tendon, carrots, seaweed, taro, potatoes, ginkgo nuts, bamboo shoots, cabbage rolls, mushrooms, tofu, kamaboko, snails, octopus, sausages, chicken, and tomatoes are added according to regional characteristics or personal tastes. Oden's broth is usually based on dashi made from crab kelp and katsuobushi and seasoned with soy sauce and sugar. To make oden, the ingredients are added to the soup and boiled for a long time so that the ingredients become soft and the soup soaks in well. Nowadays, odeng is made in creative ways, such as Chef Baek Jong-won's stir-fried odeng recipe.
Odeng is a warm and nutritious food in winter. Oden is a traditional Japanese food, especially popular during winter. Even in Korea, many people look for oden skewers sold on the streets during the winter. Because oden is made with fish cake as the main ingredient, it is rich in protein, and if you eat vegetables such as radish and konjac together, you can also consume dietary fiber and vitamins. Additionally, oden's broth is made from kelp and katsuobushi, which also supplies calcium and minerals. Odeng is good for digestion, raises body temperature, and has the effect of strengthening immunity.
