Natto

[maryeats]

I bought some Natto in Seoul on Monday and I was surprised to see such variety in the supermarket.

In Korea, Natto is Chung Guk Jang, and you can purchase it in its whole bean, mucusy form, or mashed and formed into disks, mashed and mixed with chili paste and last but not least, powdered.

Many people want the health benefits of Natto, but don't like the taste. So, according to one of my younger co-workers, a powdered form was created, that, when mixed with soymilk, has no taste or flavor. Powdered Chung Guk Jang is also available in tables form (chocolate for the kiddies).

An older co-worker loves the taste of Chung Guk Jang, and mixes it into her bibimbap. She says that the fermented soybeans are good for digestive and intestinal health.

Anyone know any other health benefits of Natto or Chung Guk Jang?

My little styrofoam cup of Chung Guk Jang is still in the fridge. I plan to try it Friday. Maybe on rice, or maybe as, Kuma suggested in a cheese sandwich.

[torakris]

Natto: The Ultimate Health Food

[Marcia]

My lunch today. Ultimate comfort food.

[maryeats]

Well, I finally gained the courage to pull out the natto and give it a shot.

I tried to be optimistic. "This doesn't smell so bad." I said as I pulled back the plastic coating.

"Christ. Yes it does." My husband retorted. Waving his hand in front of his nose. After my interest waned, he grabbed the bowl and said, "This needs to go outside, no, in the bathroom." And there it sits as I type; both of us nervous to open the door.

A quail yolk, some wasabi, a good tablespoon of natto, and a splash of soy sauce, just couldn't win any fans tonight.

The taste was earthy, a bit funky, but not like blue cheese as some have mentioned. More sweet.

How do you eat natto without the strings getting allover? That stuff's like crazy glue.

I am going to try again, but later, when the hubby isn't around

[sk_ward]

How do you eat natto without the strings getting allover? That stuff's like crazy glue.

←

Natto is kind of unwieldy to eat, that's for sure! But a handy trick is to hold the bowl fairly close to your mouth and eat it with chopsticks. After you take a bite, make little circles with your chopsticks and wrap the sticky strands around the tips. You look a little strange, but much less of it gets wasted on your face! I guess you don't have to use chopsticks, but I can't imagine eating natto with a fork... Once you master this, you'll really look like a pro Another trick is to put little pieces of nori on top of the natto and then use your chopsticks to pick up some natto and rice from both sides. Then you get natto, rice and seaweed all in one bite, with less mess!

I love natto and eat it practically every morning. It's the breakfast of champions!! Call me crazy, but I think that it's tasty with cherry tomatoes, too!

[_john]

Call me crazy, but I think that it's tasty with cherry tomatoes, too!

←

I dare anyone on this board to try the "natto tomato" and dislike it, that is if you like raw tomatoes and natto in the first place. My students have even spread my "secrect recipe" to their families now. Before you know it I will be being profiled in one of those housewife magazines...

[Ohba]

Call me crazy, but I think that it's tasty with cherry tomatoes, too!

←

I dare anyone on this board to try the "natto tomato" and dislike it, that is if you like raw tomatoes and natto in the first place. My students have even spread my "secrect recipe" to their families now. Before you know it I will be being profiled in one of those housewife magazines...

←

My wife will take that dare, more fool her. I was intrigued to see that this concept divided people more or less along ethnic lines, so I mentioned this discussion to her yesterday. She (Japanese) instantly expressed aversion to the very idea of combining tomato and natto. Fortunately, she's openminded enough to at least give it a shot. I haven't tried it myself, but I see no reason why it shouldn't taste good.

[Chihiran]

I might like natto with tomatoes, it's probably already a recipe in a health magazine! I like to mix it with cucumbers and takuan over brown rice.

[Hiroyuki]

Have you ever wondered what percentage of the total population of Japan actually like natto? If so, here's an answer: More than 80% according to a recent survey conducted by Asahi Beer in February 2006.

http://www.asahibeer.co.jp/aboutus/researc...0602/00122.html

(Japanese only)

[Chihiran]

80%? It's because natto is the best diet food!

But I remember eating it over rice with (a lot) mayonnaise, soy-sauce, and tonburi. That's when I was in the tennis club during college.

[_john]

someone told me that kantou natto smells worse than kansai natto. can anyone confirm this?

[Hiroyuki]

someone told me that kantou natto smells worse than kansai natto. can anyone confirm this?

←

I don't know what you (or they?) mean by "worse", but some manufacturers make less stinky versions aimed at Kansai and other people, who are not accustomed to the smell of natto.

[sk_ward]

I might like natto with tomatoes, it's probably already a recipe in a health magazine! I like to mix it with cucumbers and takuan over brown rice.

←

Guess what I found in a recipe book I bought recently? Sure enough, on the cover is the word "Health", but the actual title is "Nan to ittemo washokuzai." The recipe combines raw onion, tomato, natto and cole slaw dressing. The combo of raw onion, vinegar, and natto is supposed to work wonders on your blood. Hmmmm, I'll stick with natto with okra or natto with cherry tomatoes alone. Any adventurous takers out there?

Also, today when I went to the supermarket (in Japan) to drop off my styrofoam trays in the recycle bin, I noticed that somebody put a large pile of the natto trays in there too. Can those go in there? I guess I never considered it because I thought that only the meat trays went in the bin. If so, I feel really guilty because I've eaten enough natto to fill up a small landfill with horrible styrofoam trays! Now that I've opened up the recycling topic, can you put black styrofoam trays in there too, or do they have to be white? Nobody seems to put black trays in the bin...am I missing something, because they sure seem like styrofoam!

Edited August 4, 2006 by sk_ward (log)

[sanrensho]

The recipe combines raw onion, tomato, natto and cole slaw dressing.  The combo of raw onion, vinegar, and natto is supposed to work wonders on your blood.  Hmmmm,  I'll stick with natto with okra or natto with cherry tomatoes alone.  Any adventurous takers out there?

Doesn't sound like a stretch to me. I've mentioned before that I like to squirt lemon juice (acid-vinegar) on my natto and some chopped negi or green onions works fine with natto.

I'd be much more hesitant to add oil (from the dressing?) to natto.

[Hiroyuki]

Also, today when I went to the supermarket (in Japan) to drop off my styrofoam trays in the recycle bin, I noticed that somebody put a large pile of the natto trays in there too.  Can those go in there? I guess I never considered it because I thought that only the meat trays went in the bin.  If so, I feel really guilty because I've eaten enough natto to fill up a small landfill with horrible styrofoam trays! Now that I've opened up the recycling topic, can you put black styrofoam trays in there too, or do they have to be white?  Nobody seems to put black trays in the bin...am I missing something, because they sure seem like styrofoam!

←

Every municipality has its own trash collection rules, so I can't tell whether this applies to your municipality:

食品（白色）トレイ

トレーは洗ってください。納豆のパックや色のついたパックは回収できません。

Food (white) trays:

Wash dryas. Natto packs and colored packs cannot be collected.

from a page on trash collection on the website of Sumida ward, Tokyo

[SheenaGreena]

forgive me for bumping up this thread, but after reading it

I tried a few suggestions and I did the following:

cut up some scallions and raw okra and added along bonito flakes, raw quail egg yolk, to some natto and then I added the karashi and some liquid that came with the natto. then I garnished with some cut up nori.

and after trying natto for the 3rd time I finally like it! It tastes great. When you mix it with all the different ingredients it doesn't mask the taste (nothing can) it just adds to the eating experience and makes it taste yummy!

edited to add: when I tried getting the natto out of its styrofoam package I managed to get some strings on my arm. It felt like I walked through a huge cobweb. Good thing spiders don't bother me

Edited September 29, 2006 by SheenaGreena (log)

[sk_ward]

I thought that I would be able to enjoy natto prepared basically any way, but then I made this...

It is natto stuffed into aburage. I boiled the aburage to get the excess oil off and made little pockets. I mixed raw minced onion, natto, the karashi and sauce that came with the natto all together and then put it in the oven to cook for awhile. I think I saw it in a book somewhere, and tried to make something up because the picture looked good. I might have forgotten a vital step in the recipe, but I think that the biggest problem is that I realized that I just really don't like warm natto! Usually the smell of natto doesn't phase me at all, but the smell emanating from this creation was horrible and I didn't like that the strings were gone. It seemed like something other than natto and I couldn't eat much of it at all. Oh well! Back to just plain ole natto with okra atop of steamed rice!

[torakris]

Don't worry you aren't the only one! I just can't handle warm natto in any way. Only cold natto on top of hot rice and even then I have to scarf it down before the natto becomes too warm.

[Hiroyuki]

Although I'm a huge natto fan, I can't understand why some people, Japanese and non-Japanese, want to use it as an ingredient of a dish. I don't like natto in miso soup, and I don't like natto sushi rolls (natto maki in Japanese). I usually eat it as an okazu for breakfast, and I eat it with hot rice quickly before it gets hot and stinky.

[GlorifiedRice]

Okay I made Natto this am for breakfast...

I did what Kristin does with the egg yolk, scallion, soy and karashi (No bonito flakes or raw okra -out of season-though) over hot rice and I had ONE bite, which I DID chew thoroughly.

I will try again in a few months.

It really wasnt bad TASTING at all. Its the texture that kinda got me.

Im gonna sit on it a little bit and figure out what things I would add to make me LOVE it and crave it, like I do most other Japanese foods.

[Hiroyuki]

Im gonna sit on it a little bit and figure out what things I would add to make me LOVE it and crave it, like I do most other Japanese foods.

←

I would suggest chilling a pack of natto well in the fridge, add some men tsuyu concentrate and Japanese mustard, mix well, and eat it with or without rice. If you hate it, then there is nothing you can do. It's an acquired taste for you.

Do you have any particular reasons why you want to learn to love natto? Because of its health benefits?

By the way, judging from your photo, I think you had hikiwari natto, not regular, whole bean natto. Am I right?

[GlorifiedRice]

Im gonna sit on it a little bit and figure out what things I would add to make me LOVE it and crave it, like I do most other Japanese foods.

←

I would suggest chilling a pack of natto well in the fridge, add some men tsuyu concentrate and Japanese mustard, mix well, and eat it with or without rice. If you hate it, then there is nothing you can do. It's an acquired taste for you.

Do you have any particular reasons why you want to learn to love natto? Because of its health benefits?

By the way, judging from your photo, I think you had hikiwari natto, not regular, whole bean natto. Am I right?

←

Yes, Hikiwari...

I bought it cause the ingredients seemed okay..

I want to like natto, because theres not much I dont like in the world of food.

I love okra, I love chia seeds (they get slimy when soaked in water) I usually love slimy food...I wanna love Natto too...

[torakris]

The picture looks great! I would eat it, that being said I really don't care fo hikiwari natto. Try the whole bean next time. It is definitely an acquired taste.

[GlorifiedRice]

Was that too much natto mixture on the rice?

Somewhere I read today that you are only supposed to use 2 tablespoonsfull...

Also, do you stir it into the rice before eating?

Im a stickler for the TRADITIONAL ways of eating things (except for my kimchi and bulgogi- I add a little ketchup to sweeten it up. You never taste it)

Kris you like that Veggie Tales bowl? Do your kids like Veggie Tales? They are adorable and they are making them non-Christian for the worldwide market...

[torakris]

Was that too much natto mixture on the rice?

Somewhere I read today that you are only supposed to use 2 tablespoonsfull...

Also, do you stir it into the rice before eating?

Im a stickler for the TRADITIONAL ways of eating things (except for my kimchi and bulgogi- I add a little ketchup to sweeten it up. You never taste it)

Kris you like that Veggie Tales bowl? Do your kids like Veggie Tales? They are adorable and they are making them non-Christian for the worldwide market...

←

That looks the same as the amount I usually eat. In our house we usually eat about one pack per bowl of rice.

EDIT

my kids were really into veggie tales about 2 years ago but have since moved on to shows like Hannah Montana...

Edited November 26, 2006 by torakris (log)