NATTO is a traditional Japanese food and is popular especially at breakfast. It is known to be one of the most healthy Japanese food rich in protein and probiotics.
NATTO has a strange look. Although it is a type of bean, it doesn't look like one. (See the photo)
NATTO is made from soy beans which are fermented by NATTO bacillus. This is the reason it looks strange. It has a powerful smell, strong taste and a sticky texture. NATTO is usually served with a bit of soy sauce, long green onions, and a fresh raw egg on top. These ingredients can be mixed together before eating. For me，it is absolutely delicious and topping plenty of NATTO on rice is the best way of eating NATTO.
NATTO is a fascinating food for some people. They say that they can not live without NATTO. However, for some people, NATTO seems to be one of the most awful food in the world. It is the Japanese VEGEMITE!
Because of the strong smell, some people hate NATTO. They say that they can not even stare at NATTO and can’t get close to people who had NATTO. The smell of NATTO will make them crazy. When visiting Japan, if you have a chance you can comment that you like NATTO and you may learn more about Japanese food culture.
Recently, NATTO has spread even to the western part of Japan. The way we eat NATTO has more varieties today. We eat NATTO with bread, pasta, Japanese noodles and so on.
If you would like to try NATTO, I recommend NATTO as a canapé.
Ururu's Recipe
< NATTO & Avocado Canapé >
Ingredients:
NATTO (1 pack), cherry tomato, avocado, vegetable sprout or chives(optional), salt & pepper, Extra Virgin Olive oil, crackers, coriander powder
Method:
1. Slice the avocado and cut the cherry tomato in half.
2. Take the crackers (I used Cracottes) and Spread 1 tsp NATTO, 2~3 slices of avocado, tomato, and garnish with sprout or chives onto each cracker.
3. Add salt & pepper, extra virgin olive oil and coriander powder onto each cracker.
