Regular Japanese meals have long been enriched by many fermented foods including miso, soy sauce, vinegar, mirin rice wine, and fermented natto soybeans. Fermented foods and their umami flavorings are produced by the actions of endemic microorganisms and offer a host of benefits to the human body. Fermented foods, moreover, contain the hard-earned wisdom of our ancestors and are deserving to be passed on to future generations. In this series, we will present recipes that are easy to incorporate into today’s lifestyles while getting at the essence of fermented foods.
In Part 5, we look at natto, a highly nutritious food that you can eat handily.
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▶Kamoshika Fermentation Shokudo: A Unique Fermentation Diner
The power of natto is essential for a healthy diet
Natto is made of fermented soybeans, which are packed with the earth’s goodness. Although a very familiar food in Japan, people tend to eat natto in only one way. We asked Koretomo Maki, a cooking researcher and head instructor at the Japan Fermentation Culture Association, to teach us about the benefits of natto and more ways to enjoy this healthy food.
“There are actually two types of natto. What we commonly refer to as natto today is itohiki natto [stringy natto]. The older type of natto, called shiokara natto [salty natto], is made by allowing koji [rice mold] to propagate on soybeans, and, much like fermented douchi black soybeans, it is not stringy. It’s not clear when it was first eaten, but the name shiokara natto appears in Heian period (794 to 1185) documents.”
In contrast, itohiki natto became widespread during the Edo period (1603 to 1868). This type of natto is made by allowing natto bacillus, which lives in rice straw, to propagate on soybeans. As it ferments, the natto bacillus not only produces a sticky stringy texture; it also produces various enzymes, vitamins, and amino acids, making the final natto highly nutritious. Moreover, this natto is easier to digest than boiled soybeans because microorganisms break down the soybeans.
“Natto is in many ways a super health food. It contains a lot of vitamin K, which aids bone formation. We tend to associate calcium with bones, but natto also makes bones stronger. The nattokinase produced by natto bacillus promotes blood circulation. And natto is rich in B vitamins that are good for skin health and beauty.”
Add natto to improve your cooking
Koretomo says there are a few tricks to enjoy natto more deliciously. Instead of stirring the natto as soon as you take it out of the fridge, you should let it reach room temperature first to wake up the dormant natto bacillus. What’s important to do next is to thoroughly stir it without adding anything to the natto.
“Once you stir it 20 to 30 times, the sticky bacterial threads will form, making it more delicious. Always stir it in one direction only. If you stir it in the opposite direction, you will break the gluten structure and lose out on the taste.”
It is a good idea to add extra ingredients like green onions or broccoli sprouts to natto, since it doesn’t have any vitamin C.
“One major difference between natto and other fermented foods is natto has no saltiness. Most natto packages come with soy sauce, but I recommend trying other salty tastes, such as table salt, miso, or salted koji. If you dislike the smell of natto, you can make it more flavorful and delicious by complementing it with different aromas, such as ginger, sesame, or garlic.”
Natto is closely associated with Japanese cuisine, but one of its attractions is that you can use it in a variety of non-Japanese cuisines and dishes such as omelettes, pasta, and mapo tofu. The natto dressing recipe given below is one of Koretomo’s favorite ways to eat natto.
“Natto is very versatile, as you can put it in soups or use it as a topping on udon or somen noodles or on tofu. It’s convenient as well because it keeps well, so you can always have it on hand.”
Natto contains plenty of umami components produced by fermentation, so adding it to dishes can take your flavors to the next level.
“Inexperienced cooks tend to make two mistakes: the flavor is lacking something and they make the dish too weak or watery. Natto has umami, so it produces richness when used. It also binds ingredients together and gets rid of blandness. I’d like people to try adding natto to all kinds of dishes.”
How about giving natto, which is rich in both nutrients and umami, a try and add some color and taste to your daily meals?
