Japan-wide — Odawara (Kanagawa) as kamaboko centre; Osaka and Satsuma (Kagoshima) for regional varieties
Japan's surimi-based processed fish products (kamaboko, chikuwa, hanpen, satsuma-age, narutomaki) represent a category of Japanese food culture that is far more sophisticated than 'processed seafood' implies. Chikuwa (竹輪, 'bamboo ring') is formed by wrapping surimi paste around a bamboo skewer, then grilling the exterior while the interior steams — producing a tube with a golden, slightly charred exterior and an elastic, lightly smoky interior. The hole through the centre (where the skewer was) is the characteristic visual. Hanpen (半片) is a white, extremely soft and airy fish cake made from shark or white fish surimi with Japanese yam (nagaimo), producing a product with a light, springy, almost cloud-like texture unlike the firmer standard fish cakes. Both are essential oden ingredients; chikuwa is also eaten as a snack (filled with cucumber or cream cheese), as an ingredient in stir-fries, and in miso soup.
Chikuwa: mildly smoky-charred exterior with springy white fish interior; hanpen: extremely delicate, almost cloud-like, clean white fish sweetness; both absorb surrounding flavours beautifully in oden
Chikuwa is pre-cooked and can be eaten without further cooking; brief grilling or heating in oden broth enhances flavour; the hollow centre of chikuwa is a feature — fill with cucumber strips and slice for a quick appetiser; hanpen tears easily and should be handled gently; both products absorb surrounding flavours readily in oden — the oden broth is their cooking medium.
Chikuwa cucumber appetiser (kyuri no chikuwa-zume): cut chikuwa into 4cm lengths, fill the hole with a trimmed cucumber baton, slice diagonally — a zero-effort, satisfying snack; hanpen in egg for breakfast: tear hanpen, dip in beaten egg and pan-fry like French toast — extraordinary texture; chikuwa age (deep-fried chikuwa) is a standard obento element — slice into coins, batter with tempura, fry until crisp; the quality spectrum in kamaboko is wide — artisanal Odawara kamaboko (from Kanagawa) made with fresh white fish is a revelation compared to supermarket surimi products.
Over-heating hanpen (its delicate airiness collapses with excessive heat — warm gently, do not boil); treating all kamaboko/surimi products as interchangeable (the texture and flavour profile of chikuwa, hanpen, and satsuma-age are fundamentally different despite the same base ingredient); serving oden without including different kamaboko varieties (the textural contrast between firm and soft fish cakes is part of oden's pleasures).
Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art — Shizuo Tsuji