Natto...tell me more
 

I know...most of us have never heard of Natto, much less eaten it. It is a traditional Japanese breakfast food made out of fermented, soy beans. I hear it's slimy and it stinks to high heaven. Ha ha. I'll bet that I lost a lot of you right there. Anyway...I understand that it's very nutritious and has great, anti-blood clotting properties. If anyone here is familiar with it, please speak up. I'd like to know how you prepare it, store it, etc.

Thanks,
~ C

I've eaten it and enjoyed it, although most Americans cannot get beyond the smell. :-) I don't know how to prepare it though. If I remeber correctly my Japanese exchange student said it took a long time to make. Hope you can find a recipe or instructions.

Thanks Lena,

I do have a recipe for it. It needs to ferment for a time,but I don't know how long. I've ordered some natto starter and I'm going to try to make a batch. I'll let you know how it goes.

~ C

Natto...made it, smelled it, held nose and ate it....yumm! It was very easy to make too. I'm starting a second batch.

~C

There is some controversy for those with estrogen positive breast cancer to consume large amounts of soy products. I don’t know what constitutes large or enough though.

I think that the jury is still out on that. Personally, I find the health benefits are worth the risk.

I have found that mixing the natto with a little tamari, pickled ginger and mirin makes it taste fantastic. I used this combo today on top of some avocado toast. The avo and natto compliment each other nicely.

~ C

yes that’s why I said some controversy. We will all decide - I decided not to because I had estrogen positive breast cancer.

Alyce, I'm sorry to hear that you were ill. I hope all is better now.

As for natto recipes...I found out that there is a special, "natto soy bean," that is supposed to make superior natto. It's a small, golden bean. I looked for it all over the internet and found someone that ships it by the pound, so I ordered some. I'll make my next batch with those and see if there is any difference. Also, natto can also be made with other beans. I'm not sure all of the various kinds, but I do know that you can use Tepary beans, or black-eyed peas. (Both are easy to grow too!)

My DH really likes the natto. He says that it tastes like pinto beans, but with a more earthy flavor and with a slightly, more slippery texture. We had about a 1/3 cup on our ww toast today, with a T of almond spread, a piece of smoked tomato deli slice, along with a dash tamari, a few drops of pickled ginger juice and a little horseradish for garnish. That and a big bowl of fresh fruit made a satisfying breakfast.

~ C

My update on Natto...
I've been doing lots of experimenting with Natto. I've made about 4 batches so far. It's relatively easy to make and takes just a couple of day of passive cooking and fermenting. First day, I soak the soy beans overnight, the second day I cook them, cool them and then inoculate them with the bacteria. They are then covered with plastic wrap placed in my oven, which warms them with the pilot light for about 24 hours. After that, they are ready to use in recipes. I keep the natto in covered pyrex dishes in the fridge and it gets better with a little aging in there. A batch will last my husband and I about 10 days.

Natto is traditionally served as a breakfast dish, cold, over hot, white rice and with a Tare sauce (kind of like teriyaki sauce.) I've been looking up all kinds of recipes for other dishes and found this site has quite a few: https://welovejapanesefood.com/natto-recipes/

I've been making wraps and stir fries. I do believe that it is more nutritious cold, because heating it can destroy the beneficial enzymes. That being said, even hot, it is still full of good things.

Also, here is a site that has a good Tare sauce recipe:https://www.culturesforhealth.com/le...e-natto-sauce/

Honestly, I didn't start making natto for its health benefits. I was just curious and found natto in one of my cookbooks that has recipes for all kinds of cultured foods. However, after doing some research, I found that natto contains nattokinase, an enzyme that greatly reduces the development of blood clots, something which I am predisposed to, so for me, I think that it is a good thing. There is also considerable research that shows that it is good for your heart and lowering BP. I only eat about a cup, or two per week, so I don't think that I'm in any serious danger of overdoing it. I do think that it would be wise for anyone interested in eating natto for its health benefits, to to some research.

So, that's my take on natto. As you can see, I'm enthusiastic about it. :) If you're curious and don't want to make your own, you might find it in the freezer section of an Asian market, or online. It's cheap to buy...$2-3.

~ C