Oden

Instructions

1. Wipe 5 g of kombu with a damp cloth (do not wash off the white bloom) and soak it in 500 ml of cold water in a wide pot for 30 minutes. Bring slowly to just below a boil over medium-low heat, small bubbles at the edge, about 10 minutes, and lift out the kombu before it boils, or the dashi turns slimy.
2. Take the pot off the heat, scatter in 8 g of katsuobushi and let it steep for 2 minutes until the flakes sink. Strain through a fine sieve without pressing, return the clear dashi to the pot and season with 1 tbsp of light soy sauce, 1 tbsp of mirin, 1 tbsp of sake and 0.25 tsp of salt. The broth should taste lightly salted and drinkable.
3. Peel 150 g of daikon thickly and cut it into 2 rounds about 3 cm thick. Bevel the cut edges with a knife so they do not crumble and score a shallow cross in one face. Simmer the rounds in a separate pan of water with 1 tbsp of raw rice for 20 minutes, until a skewer slides in with slight resistance, then rinse off the starch under cold water.