- Natto
- Meet Justin
Simply Natto: A Natto Lover's Journey
It's Natto Time!Hello and welcome to Simply Natto!
My name’s Justin and I am a natto lover and the creator of this website.
I've been eating Japanese fermented soybeans for over 15 years and I love them.
But it wasn't always that way.
Natto Talk
Want to chat about Japanese fermented soybeans and how you can better enjoy this Japanese superfood?
Subscribe to Natto Talk!
A monthly publication containing info about:
- Things relating to natto
- Simply Natto's "Natto Recipe of the Month"
- Japan and its culture
- Updates made to the Simply Natto website and its social media pages
- Any upcoming product drops or projects
So what are you waiting for?
Fill out the form below and join.
I look forward to sharing my natto journey with you and learning about yours.
How long did it take for me to try natto?
When I first came to Japan, natto wasn't on my "have-to-eat" list.
In fact, I avoided eating it for a number of years because I just couldn’t get over the look or the smell of the beans.
There are so many Japanese foods that are presented so beautifully and smell absolutely amazing that I wondered why people loved eating natto so much.
Needless to say, it took me a while (nearly 5 years) before I finally decided to give it a try.
Now I love eating natto and I am always thinking of different ways to enjoy eating it.
What does my love of natto have to do with you?
It’s my love of eating these healthy fermented soybeans that has led me to create Simply Natto with the purpose of sharing with you various traditional and unique ways you can eat and better enjoy the taste of natto.
That way you too can enjoy a flavor of Japan and enjoy the benefits of a Japanese superfood.
Simply Natto: Mission Statement
How I aim to help you along your journey to enjoying natto:
Share traditional and unique natto recipe ideas, so you can discover various ways to better enjoy the taste of these sticky, stringy beans.
Actively demonstrate my knowledge of, and experience with, eating natto through words, photos, and videos. I'm able to do this because I've been eating Japanese fermented soybeans for over 14 years and all of the recipe ideas presented on this website have been tried and tasted by my own taste buds, as well as by my family and friends here in Japan.
Build trust with my audience (that's you!) by providing information that is well researched and presented in a way that is easily understood.
Teach you various Japanese words / phrases within the world of eating natto, so you can develop a deeper understanding of, and become more knowledgeable about, the culture where these sticky, stringy beans originated from.
Be honest and open to feedback and discussion about anything related to information on this website.
Simply Natto: How did my natto journey begin?
The First Attempt
One night while eating out at a kaitenzushi (i.e. conveyor belt sushi) restaurant my friends and family suggested (I’d lost count how many times they had previously done this) that I order some natto and give it a try.
(Now that I think about it, I remember this being more of a challenge and less of a suggestion at the time!)
So, I ordered some natto gunkan (i.e. natto sushi that looks like little boats) and waited for my plate to arrive.
With my plate in front of me, I topped it with shoyu and with onlookers all around me took my first bite.
Simply Natto: A Natto Lover's Language Corner
回転寿司
(kaitenzushi)
"kie-ten-zoo-she"
( kie: say "kite" without the "t" )
- sushi chain restaurant (conveyor belt style)
納豆軍艦
(natto gunkan)
"naw-toe-goon-con"
- natto sushi that looks like little boats
I’d like to say there were cheers and streamers flying all around me, but rather it was words of “finally,” “see that wasn’t so bad,” and “about time!”
They’re wasn’t much of a flavor beside the soy sauce and I remember thinking, “what’s the big deal with these beans?”
However the stringiness I noticed right away because as I put the natto into my mouth there was a long thin string from my lips to my chopsticks that wouldn’t go away.
There’s a natto etiquette (which I later learned) on how to minimize the stringiness, but since I was unfamiliar with it, I ended up using my hand to swat at it.
It was very amusing for my friends and family.
To top it off, my chopsticks were now left with a slimy residue and when I used them to pick up the gunkan I couldn’t get a good grip and it plopped back down on my plate.
Needless to say I wasn’t that impressed and so I just kept ordering other sushi dishes for the rest of the evening.
The Second Attempt
My second attempt at eating natto, and the one that got my taste buds wanting to eat more of it, was at an Izakaya (i.e. Japanese-style bar).
I didn’t set out to eat any fermented beans, but when I saw it on the menu as “deep-fried natto” I thought anything is good when it’s fried so why not.
The beans were served wrapped in nori (i.e. seaweed) and deep-fried in a triangular shape.
I picked up one and lightly dipped an edge of it in some soy sauce and took a bite.
The light crispiness mixed with the seaweed and natto was amazing.
What an unexpected and delicious creation!
The beans had a little bit of an earthy flavor with a hint of the fermented smell that comes along with eating them.
This yummy deep-fried experience started me on the natto journey that I am on today, and I’ve continued to eat natto in traditional ways (e.g., on top of rice) and in unique ways (e.g., in curry or in a hot bowl of noodles) ever since.
Some Simply Natto Goodness...
If you’re looking for a natto dish that doesn’t have that strong fermented smell, then the deep-fried combination is great.
If you’d prefer something less oily here’s a recipe idea that is light and refreshing, and it minimizes the smell and the stringiness of the beans too.
Simply Natto: A Natto Lover's Language Corner
居酒屋
(izakaya)
"ee-zuh-kie-yuh"
( kie: say "kite" without the "t" )
- Japanese-style bar
海苔
(nori)
"no-ree"
(slightly roll the "r" in "ree")
- seaweed
醤油
(shoyu)
"show-you"
- soy sauce
美味しい
(oishii)
"oh-ee-she"
- delicious, yummy
You Can Enjoy Eating Natto Too!
Now I know everyone has different tastes and enjoys eating different flavors, so try out the different recipes and combinations you discover on my site to see which ones your taste buds like best.
Natto is a Japanese superfood that I truly enjoy eating, and one that I hope to help you enjoy as well.
I've definitely become a natto lover, and you may just become one too!
Thank you for visiting my site, Simply Natto, and I hope that the information found here can help you along your journey to enjoying natto.
いただきます。"ee-taw-daw-key-maas" - Let's Eat!
Justin
Keep up with the latest Natto Goodness by following Simply Natto on social media