margaret

Any opinions on the natto with other ingredients pre-added? I recently tried a few different varieties - one with hijiki (eh), one with kombu (not bad), one with a five grain mixture added - but I think I still prefer the tried-and-true plain, tare/karashi garden variety. Any other interesting flavors out there? My favorite way of eating it has always been to pour it over hiya yakko (chilled plain tofu) with scallions and lots of soy sauce. Tastes good, and there's something interesting about eating the soybean in three different forms in one dish that's always appealed to me. Chopped okra is also a good addition, too.

Mountain yam is also delicious grated and mixed into a bowl of mozuku-su (vinegared seaweed) and a bit of wasabi. Like someone else mentioned, it's also good in okonomiyaki - works as a binding agent, and improves the texture. In fact, many prepackaged okonomiyaki flours and mixes often contain yam powder. I've found that soaking it in some water and rice vinegar helps to control the itching, although I'm usually lazy and just use a makeshift saran wrap glove.