Odeng 오뎅 is the Korean version of the Japanese dish “Oden” and is popular as street food in Korea. It consists of fish cakes skewered on a stick, immersed in a hot broth (chogari).
The “chogari” is prepared with water, fish stock or fish broth, soy sauce, and sometimes kelp (konbu) for flavor.
Traditional Korean recipes for Eomuk often use white fish such as cod or sea bass.
Sold from street carts, the broth is sometimes provided to customers in paper cups to dip the skewers and then drink it.
Hotbar (핫바) is a more modern and practical version of Odeng. Generally made with a similar batter to Odeng, which is fried and then sold as a snack to eat on the go. It is also available in convenience store chains like 7Eleven, sold as a hot snack (hence the name “Hotbar”).
Japanese fish cakes were introduced to Korea during the Japanese colonial period from 1910-1945.
These were eaten during our trip to Seoul in March 2025.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Korean
- Seasonality: Winter, All seasons
Ingredients
- 14 oz white fish fillet (cod or sole)
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 2/3 cup water
- to taste sesame oil
- to taste salt
- 2 cups water
- 1 quart fish broth
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- to taste kelp
- to taste black pepper
Tools
- Skewers bamboo
Steps
Finely chop the fresh fish and mix it with wheat flour, cornstarch, water, salt, soy sauce, and sesame oil. The mixture should be rather soft but consistent.
Take a small amount of mixture and roll it around a wooden skewer, creating a cylindrical shape. You can also form larger pieces or disk shapes if not using skewers.
Prepare the broth:
in a pot, bring the water to a boil and add the fish broth. Also add soy sauce, pepper, and kelp, then let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes to flavor the broth.
Immerse the fish skewers in the boiling broth and let them cook for 5-7 minutes, until they are fully cooked. The Odeng skewers should be soft, but well-cooked inside.
Serve the Odeng in a dish with the hot broth.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What is the difference between Odeng and Eomuk?
Eomuk (어묵) and Odeng (오뎅) are fundamentally the same type of dish in Korea, but there are some subtle differences, mainly related to terminology and region, and also in relation to preparation.
Eomuk (어묵):
It is used to describe a variety of products based on minced fish, which can be fried or boiled.
The preparation of Eomuk tends to be linked to home and traditional cooking. Eomuk are made with a mixture of minced fish, flour, starch, and sometimes tofu and vegetables, all then cooked in a fish broth.
Eomuk is also the term used for fish sticks sold at street food stalls.
Odeng (오뎅):
This is the term that has become more common in modern language in Korea, especially when talking about Eomuk served as street food, often skewered and dipped in hot broth.
The word “Odeng” was taken from the Japanese word “Oden” (おでん), which refers to a similar dish in Japan that includes fish, tofu, and other vegetables cooked in a hot broth. However, Korean Odeng tends to be simpler and focused on minced fish, while Japanese Oden can include more different ingredients.
Korean Odeng is more often sold as street food, where it is served with hot broth in paper cups or as a skewer at food carts.
What distinguishes them?
Regional terminology: “Eomuk” is used more traditionally and in more home-like contexts, while “Odeng” is more commonly used for street food or in more modern contexts.
In both cases, Eomuk/Odeng are prepared with a minced fish base and are commonly served in broth.
However, Odeng is more often sold as a snack or street food, where fish sticks are dipped in hot broth, while Eomuk can be consumed both at home and outside, but in more traditional contexts.What is the recipe for eomuk?
Ingredients:
500 g white fish fillet (sea bass, cod, or similar)
50 g wheat flour
cornstarch (1 tablespoon)
1 egg
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
sesame oil
salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons water
For the broth:
2 liters fish broth or water
fish sauce (2 tablespoons)
salt
Clean and remove the skin and bones from the fish.
Finely chop or process the fish in a food processor until you have a fine paste.
In a bowl, combine the minced fish, wheat flour, cornstarch, egg, chopped onion, fish sauce, sesame oil, salt, pepper, and water.
Mix until you get a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
Take a small portion of the mixture with wet hands and form small balls or cylinders. You can also give more traditional shapes, such as ovals or rectangles, depending on preference.
To prepare the broth in which to serve the Eomuk, add the fish broth (or water), fish sauce, and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil and let it cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the Eomuk and let them cook for about 10-15 minutes. The Eomuk are ready when they float to the surface.
Serve the Eomuk in the hot broth, with chopped scallions and season with soy sauce or black pepper to taste.What type of seaweed is kelp?
Dried kelp, or dashima in Korean, or kombu in Japanese, is a very important ingredient in the base broth of many Korean recipes, providing the broth with a delicious umami flavor.
Kelp seaweed is sold in huge sheets in many Asian markets, as well as in most whole foods stores.
