Shoga Miso Oden

Shoga miso oden, enjoyed mainly in Aomori City, is a local taste in which oden simmered in dashi is generously topped with a sweet and savory ginger miso sauce. The sharp aroma of ginger and the mellow richness of miso cling to the ingredients and warm you from the core in the cold season. It is a humble and heartwarming dish essential to the snowy winter of Aomori.

Highlights

The key to this oden is, above all, the ginger miso sauce. Grated ginger is combined with miso and finished sweet and savory, and this sauce matches exquisitely with the dashi soaked oden ingredients. The Aomori way is to pour it generously over standard ingredients like konjac, daikon, and fish balls. The refreshing heat of ginger lingers and invites the next bite.

Enjoying the Seasons

Shoga miso oden is craved most in the depths of winter, when snow covers the land. As a dish to warm a thoroughly chilled body, the sight of it steaming at food stalls and eateries is a winter tradition of Aomori. Ginger also helps warm the body, making it perfect for this land of harsh cold. Of course many shops serve it year round, and it is loved regardless of season.

Access and Basic Information

Within Aomori City there are many eateries and pubs that serve shoga miso oden. You can enjoy it casually at shops around Aomori Station, and the special ginger miso sauce is sold at souvenir shops so you can recreate it at home. Many people stop by for a warming dish between sightseeing stops.

A Quick Tip

The Aomori way is to coat the ingredients generously in the sauce before eating. It is best to take a big bite while it is hot, before the ginger aroma fades. When you taste an ingredient soaked in dashi and miso sauce, you will feel the warmth of an Aomori winter.