Natto

[Hiroyuki]

While searching for good recipes for coffee jelly, I bumped into Natto Coffee Jelly Sando (Sandwich) of Kurama.

http://portal.nifty.com/koneta04/07/28/03/

According to other sites, you can get this sando at three Kurama stores in Japan:

Suzuka, in Mie prefecture

Nagoya Sakae

Shinjuku Washington Hotel, Shinjuku, Tokyo

More closeup photos here:

http://members.at.infoseek.co.jp/rimssecret/nattou.htm

[torakris]

I will eat almost anything but that is one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen. My husband, who is sitting at his computer next to me, saw it and said he would like to try it though...

[sazji]

Shudder. I will try almost anything too, though balut, probably, is an exception. I tried natto at a party given by a Japanese-American professor years ago. There was wonderful food there, and there was a little container of natto and several pairs of chopsticks for sampling. I knew I was in trouble when I saw how it threaded out, but went for it anyway. It wasn't the smell or taste that were the problem, it was the way it immediately covered every surface of my mouth and wouldn't go away! We gave some to a Pakistani grad student...he got a look on his face that was priceless; he seemed almost hurt, as if a trusted friend had just cursed his mother. When he came to his senses, he ran to the bathroom and spent about 5 minutes washing his mouth out.

[torakris]

I love watching people eat natto for the first time....

[jeniac42]

I tried natto for the first time last night. I bought some individual-sized cups on Friday but it took me a while to work up the courage to actually eat it. It came with small packets of soy sauce and mustard. I stirred it up and took a bite and... I think it tastes kind of like coffee.

I couldn't finish the whole serving. The slimy texture and strange taste were just too weird for me. But I have two more servings left. Maybe I'll get used to it...

[Kiem Hwa]

Natto is one of those acquired tastes... the first time I tried Natto was years ago and I hated it... and stayed away from it for years... but after reading about how healthy it is for you and with that in mind I tried it again about a year ago, and after eating it a few more times, it truely grew on me and now I always have some in my freezer for those days I just crave natto over some steamed rice!

[Salli Vates]

I love the natto made from the small soybeans mixed with raw egg, hot mustard and soy sauce over rice. I often have this for breakfast or lunch with a bowl of miso soup. That's fascinating, I never knew that there were more kinds of natto made with different beans.

I also saw that there is a natto pasta sauce, has anyone tried this?

[torakris]

I had a really nice natto for breakfast yesterday, it was ume fuumi (ume taste) with kurozu (black vinegar). I mixed it with some blanched chopped okra and really enjoyed it.

here is a picture of the package

[torakris]

I also saw that there is a natto pasta sauce, has anyone tried this?

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I am not quite ready for that.....

Here is an English recipe for those who want to try.

[_john]

I also think that natto taste like coffee. I think that people either love natto or hate it. The first time I tried it I was hooked. To me it does not have an offensive smell, and it is hard for me to understand when people ask me not to eat it around them.

Sometimes I eat natto over rice with bacon for breakfast. And when I buy the really cheap natto that does not have a package of sauce I make my own natto tare by adding a little sugar, soy sauce, and instant dashi directly into the package and mixing it up. Sometimes I will add furikake or umeboshi paste.

I would totally try natto pasta. What are some famous dishes that include natto?

[helenjp]

natto omelet, natto stirfried with ground pork or beef...

[jkonick]

I also think that natto taste like coffee. I think that people either love natto or hate it. The first time I tried it I was hooked. To me it does not have an offensive smell, and it is hard for me to understand when people ask me not to eat it around them.

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I think the same thing. I was going in to my first natto eating expecting this terrible, worse than 10 year old washed rind cheese smell - and it just had a faint coffee smell. I actually like the smell, and the taste, which I think are roughly the same. It's just the texture that gets to me a little, but I'm getting used to it.

I have a Japanese friend who said that my coffee scented natto didn't smell like the nasty stuff his dad likes, so maybe the kind I but in the U.S. is different from nattao available in Japan?

Edited March 27, 2006 by jkonick (log)

[_john]

I have a Japanese friend who said that my coffee scented natto didn't smell like the nasty stuff his dad likes, so maybe the kind I but in the U.S. is different from nattao available in Japan?

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I've tasted many different types of natto in Japan and the U.S. and as far as I can tell they are the same. I am speaking from a west coat perspective, I have had natto that is imported into LA and San Francisco, and then natto in the Kansai area of Japan.

Somehow hot or warm natto is not as appealing. I have made fried rice with natto but it just slimed up all the rice and it was not that good. Maybe by washing it first it could be used in different ways, but then you would lose a lot of the flavor.

[Hiroyuki]

I have a Japanese friend who said that my coffee scented natto didn't smell like the nasty stuff his dad likes, so maybe the kind I but in the U.S. is different from nattao available in Japan?

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I've tasted many different types of natto in Japan and the U.S. and as far as I can tell they are the same. I am speaking from a west coat perspective, I have had natto that is imported into LA and San Francisco, and then natto in the Kansai area of Japan.

Somehow hot or warm natto is not as appealing. I have made fried rice with natto but it just slimed up all the rice and it was not that good. Maybe by washing it first it could be used in different ways, but then you would lose a lot of the flavor.

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And you would lose a lot of nutrients of natto too.

[Hiroyuki]

I would totally try natto pasta. What are some famous dishes that include natto?

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Natto tempura. A favorite of my son's. It's flavorful, but the scorching natto smell fills the entire room/house when you make it.

[torakris]

Less odoriferous 'natto' gains favor in Taiwan

"Natto," a traditional Japanese staple made from fermented soy beans, has rarely graced dining tables in Taiwan because of its pungent aroma.

But the sticky dish's fortunes may be changing, especially since Li Fu-yuan, a 76-year-old food maker, has created an "improved" variety.

After reproducing the look, if not the stink, of real natto, he went public with his achievement at a food exhibition, where it raised little interest.

Surprisingly, Li's "vitality natto" later became the hit of the season when severe acute respiratory syndrome broke out and took several lives in Taiwan.

[tantan]

Less odoriferous 'natto' gains favor in Taiwan

"Natto," a traditional Japanese staple made from fermented soy beans, has rarely graced dining tables in Taiwan because of its pungent aroma.

But the sticky dish's fortunes may be changing, especially since Li Fu-yuan, a 76-year-old food maker, has created an "improved" variety.

After reproducing the look, if not the stink, of real natto, he went public with his achievement at a food exhibition, where it raised little interest.

Surprisingly, Li's "vitality natto" later became the hit of the season when severe acute respiratory syndrome broke out and took several lives in Taiwan.

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Blasphemy! Why would anyone want to get rid of the beautiful aroma of nattou?!? Half the flavour is in the smell!

I just can't understand why so many people say it stinks. The first time I tried it I just thought it was ok, but I didn't really notice the smell. After that I started to love both the taste and the smell. If you want stinky, try Taiwanese "Stinky Tofu" 臭豆腐(which is also delicious!)

Speaking of nattou in Taiwan.... I found that it was quite difficult to find a good one. Usually they use larger beans that have been chopped up, they look pale and aren't very sticky.

[jeniac42]

I have to admit I still haven't eaten any more natto. I'd like to try it in a different preparation next time, maybe with some other flavors....

[tantan]

The first time I tried it, it was with a bunch of random stuff like raw egg and wasabi, without rice, so I wasn't that keen to try it again. But once you get used to it your taste buds will thank you for it. Since I started loving nattou, I gradually began loving other strong Japanese flavours even more. I didn't really care for stuff like umeboshi, shiso or unagi before, but now I crave them.

You should try nattou with shallots, soy sauce and karashi. I also love it with a kind of pickled enoki mushroom that you can buy in a jar, it really adds to the flavour and texture. Does anyone know what I mean? I really recommend them if you can get them. And make sure you mix it up well, it really improves the flavour if there's a lot of air in there.

I'm going shopping to find out what those mushrooms are called.

[torakris]

You should try nattou with shallots, soy sauce and karashi. I also love it with a kind of pickled enoki mushroom that you can buy in a jar, it really adds to the flavour and texture. Does anyone know what I mean? I really recommend them if you can get them. And make sure you mix it up well, it really improves the flavour if there's a lot of air in there.

I'm going shopping to find out what those mushrooms are called.

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Nametake!

[tantan]

That's it! Thanks!

[S_tran]

If you cook it in a omelette, it loses that "stringiness" (is that a word? is it spelled right?).I aslo saw on tv, that if you mix it 100 (or was it 200?) times the strings disappear. I have never tried it, personally I love the strings, but my friend did and said that it actually worked.

They also sell a special type of natto over here (Japan) that has no strings, this is usually used in the maki zushi (sushi rolls).

If you are really bored one day and are looking for something to do, give a bowl of natto gohan (white rice topped with natto) to a 1 year old child to eat by themself. You can then spend hours afterwards washing and rewashing (atleast 5 times) the table, chairs, clothes, and walls (if they are a really messy eater). Don't worry about the hair, it will take at least a couple of days to get it completely out!

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LOL that's hilarious i have to try that on my baby cousin when they come to visit...

[_john]

I bought some natto packed in straw today. When I got home I opened up the straw and was very disappointed to find regular natto protected by plastic, with a little packet of sauce, not touching the straw at all. Has anyone had real natto fermented in straw? I think it would add an interesting aroma to the natto and I want to try it, no luck this time.

[Hiroyuki]

I bought some natto packed in straw today. When I got home I opened up the straw and was very disappointed to find regular natto protected by plastic, with a little packet of sauce, not touching the straw at all. Has anyone had real natto fermented in straw? I think it would add an interesting aroma to the natto and I want to try it, no luck this time. 

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No, never. I found this.

This seems the only natto in Japan that is made with straw. Interestingly, this site says that this natto doesn't stink unlike other nattos made with pure natto kin.

[ulterior epicure]

natto and bacon..... I used to think bacon good went with everything, but I had never considered natto before.

You know, I had never thought of combining the two either - but ohmygosh does that sound amazing!!

u.e.