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NATTO


milochka
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I've seen it before but it smelled so weird I didn't want to eat it. Its been a while since I've run into it(pre vegan) and I'd probably try it now but its smells pretty nasty.

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i really really love NATTO.

 

often referred to as Vegetable Cheese, yes it smells weird (like a baby's diaper) but it's really tasty, has a good pack of protein and minerals, and since it's fermented (like miso and soy sauce and tempeh), it is believed by some to be the better type of soy to eat; its like durian, an acquired taste, for sure. plus it's got that sticky stuff like okra (kinda looks like snot). but it tastes great. i been eating it for years because my wife is from japan. and if you cook it, the smell and the snot lessens (ie with spaghetti, deep fried, as a burger).

 

main thing is get it non-gmo (and/or organic). what brand? put it this way i've never had a natto i didn't like! several brands i have are the "good" natto, another one has picture of a mountain, one has a grandmother cartoon, a fake wood container, also i've had homemade by a friend that was the best. i don't know the names because the writings in Japanese so i just read the English label that's stuck on the box (usually it's produced and/ or imported by Nishimoto or JFC).

 

but be beware: it usually comes with a sauce packet that is usually like dashi (fish flavored soy sauce) so i'd mix it with your own known good soy sauce, ketchup or mustard. plus if you order it out make sure it wasn't made with that dashi (also sometimes they mix it with raw egg when they serve it in restaurants).

 

where to find it? either a Japanese supermarket like Mitsuwa (in NJ and Cali) or a good Chinese supermarket that has other Asian foods, too. i guess i'm fortunate to be here in NYC we have 2 excellent veg friendly Chinatowns plus quite a few Japanese markets to choose from. if you are in the sticks and can't find a place to buy it you may be able to make it by buying the natto culture itself (Bacillus Natto, never tried that myself).

 

interesting side note there is a remedy for heart and vascular disease called nattokinase which is from... NATTO!

 

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can you get natto in tucson?

 

check this out from http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/16113.html:

 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cup (175.0 g)

Amount Per Serving

Calories

371

Calories from Fat

173

% Daily Value*

Total Fat

19.3g

30%

 

Saturated Fat

2.8g

14%

Polyunsaturated Fat

10.9g

Monounsaturated Fat

4.3g

Cholesterol

0mg

0%

Sodium

12mg

1%

Total Carbohydrates

25.1g

8%

Dietary Fiber

9.5g

38%

Sugars

6.3g

Protein

31.0g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 38%

Calcium 38% • Iron 84%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

 

what i usually do when i give food a quick look is i add up grams of protein & fiber and compare that with fat & sugar; in this case the former wins (40.5g to 25.6g), while its certainly not low fat (actually only 2.8g is saturated fat) its still pretty good numbers

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  • 2 weeks later...
i really really love NATTO.

 

often referred to as Vegetable Cheese, yes it smells weird (like a baby's diaper) but it's really tasty, has a good pack of protein and minerals, and since it's fermented (like miso and soy sauce and tempeh), it is believed by some to be the better type of soy to eat; its like durian, an acquired taste, for sure. plus it's got that sticky stuff like okra (kinda looks like snot). but it tastes great. i been eating it for years because my wife is from japan. and if you cook it, the smell and the snot lessens (ie with spaghetti, deep fried, as a burger).

 

 

Do you have a recipie to make this? I bought it recently from an asian market and loved it. I want to make a huge batch.

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i never have made my "own" natto from scratch but i think you can buy the culture that does the fermenting and i believe you put it on boiled soy beans that are on straw mats or something like that? that's the legend of natto that it was discovered accidentally, but i dunno for sure. i'm sure if you surf the net you culd find a source of natto and recipes, too

 

regarding recipes for natto dishes (and any dishes, in general), for the most part i kind of just improvise in the kitchen and rarely use set or strict recipes.

 

happy hunting

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