Growing up, my family went through several years of being very poor after my parents divorced, and, as a result, we ended up having to settle for some less than desirable food (the infamous “government cheese”) and so many nights of leftovers, I often had a hard time remembering when the original meal was.
Subsequently, the one rule I had to follow regarding any food was “try it once.” My father told me that I had to try everything once. If I didn’t like, I wouldn’t have to eat it again. But if I refused to eat it at least once, I would receive a whipping. I’m sure that sounds harsh to some of you, but it was a necessary behavior to keep me from being wasteful (as many kids can be), and it really opened my mind to all sorts of foods.
So, having heard that many Westerners are really repulsed by natto, fermented soybeans, a staple in the Japanese diet, I decided I had to try it. I headed over to Asahi Imports and bought some frozen natto.
Frozen Natto Packaging
I avoided it all week, unsure if I wanted to try something new in the middle of my work week … you know … just in case. Today, however, I decided it was time. I cooked up some rice and mixed up the natto with the soy sauce and yellow mustard packaged with it.
The Natto mixed with Rice
The smell didn’t strike me as particularly offensive. If anything it just smelled a bit musty and odd. As I mixed it up, I could see the glue-like texture that so many of spoken of.
“Meh” at First Bite
Without much hesitation, I took my first bite. Just like with it’s odor, I didn’t find the flavor terrible, but I could see how natto’s texture could throw people off. Frankly, I thought perhaps the flavor wasn’t intense enough. So I mixed in some more yellow mustard. Still, I wasn’t impressed.
Another issue I had was the rice I used. Because I didn’t want to waste a bunch of rice, I just cooked up a cup of Minute Rice … not a good choice. Minute Rice isn’t really sticky enough for this kind of food.
In the end, I just couldn’t finish it all, and I end up mixing the rest of the rice with some wasabi mayo tuna. Next time I try natto, I’ll use my Twitter pal @osiodhachan’s recipe.
With chopped onions and minced garlic and toasted on a slice of bread, this recipe just might have the “kick” I was looking for.