Oden

Method

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.