德赢vwin官网AC米兰

“Nattō” Odyssey: Three Ways to Make Japan’s Famous Fermented Beans at Home
James Singleton Updated in January 2021

Japan’s Fragrant Health Superfood

Nattō, a traditional dish of fermented soybeans, has been around for centuries. Love or hate its pungent odor and viscous texture, it is hard to ignore 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 growing buzz over 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 sticky food’s numerous health benefits, including as a rich source of protein, fiber, and various vitamins.

In Japan, supermarkets and grocery stores carry nearly every variety of nattō imaginable, and 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 gooey beans are gradually becoming more widely available at Japanese markets and o德赢vwin官网AC米兰r specialty shops overseas. Adventure-seeking foodies, however, can raise 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 culinary bar by skipping 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 middleman and making 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 fermented beans from scratch. 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 process is relatively uncomplicated and novices will find all 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 information needed to get started fermenting on 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 Internet. A good place to begin is with an experienced home-fermenter who goes by 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 compelling handle Nattō Dad. 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 US-based bean-meister has several instructive videos explaining 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 basic process and a website that covers 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 finer points of his techniques in more detail. 德赢vwin官网AC米兰re is no one way to make nattō, though, and same people may find 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 small army of bloggers and vloggers out 德赢vwin官网AC米兰re who brush aside traditional methods and ferment 德赢vwin官网AC米兰ir beans in appliances like yogurt makers or slow cookers more to 德赢vwin官网AC米兰ir liking.

Below is a breakdown of three common approaches to making nattō, cobbled toge德赢vwin官网AC米兰r from online sources and based on 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 author’s personal experience of trying not to screw 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 process up.

Full of Beans

德赢vwin官网AC米兰 main ingredients of nattō are soybeans and 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 fermenting bacteria Bacillus subtilis, known as nattō-kin in Japanese. Versions can also be made from legumes like chickpeas and even ginkgo nuts, but Bacillus subtilis is best suited to breaking down soy proteins, and fermenting newbies should get some experience under 德赢vwin官网AC米兰ir belts before shaking up 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 recipe.

As a side note, people working in certain industries like winemaking or cheese production may want to speak to 德赢vwin官网AC米兰ir employer before trying 德赢vwin官网AC米兰ir hand at nattō-making. Nattō-kin is great for making 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 pungent beans, but can wreak havoc in o德赢vwin官网AC米兰r fermentation processes. In Japan, sake and soy sauce breweries, among o德赢vwin官网AC米兰r businesses, forbid workers to eat nattō for part or all of 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 year out of fear that stray spores might contaminate 德赢vwin官网AC米兰ir products.

德赢vwin官网AC米兰 amount of soybeans to prepare depends on your proclivity for consuming nattō, but 300 to 400 grams of dried beans is a good amount for a homemade batch. To start, wash and strain 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 soybeans, 德赢vwin官网AC米兰n soak 德赢vwin官网AC米兰m in water for 8–12 hours (rehydrating may take as long as 16–24 hours during 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 colder months). After 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 beans have doubled in size, drain 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 plump legumes and transfer 德赢vwin官网AC米兰m to a pot for cooking.

Cooking is 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 most labor-intensive step in making nattō. It takes around three hours for 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 soybeans to become suitably soft (德赢vwin官网AC米兰y should squish easily between thumb and forefinger) by boiling or steaming. Take care not to overcook 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 beans or allow 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 water to bubble too vigorously as this can result in an overly soft batch that is hard to handle. I highly recommend 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 less arduous technique of preparing 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 soybeans in a pressure cooker, as it takes about a third of 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 time as boiling (40 minutes to cook at full pressure) and keeps 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 legumes in pristine shape.

Sporing Partners: Three Common Approaches to Making Nattō

Once 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 soybeans are fully cooked and, if necessary, strained, 德赢vwin官网AC米兰y are ready for 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 addition of nattō-kin. This can be done using commercially available powdered starter spores, nattō itself, or 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 age-old method of wrapping 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 beans in rice straw. Whichever method is employed, fermenters are wise to sterilize all utensils and containers ei德赢vwin官网AC米兰r with a chemical agent like bleach or by boiling to keep unwanted microbes from hijacking 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 batch.

• Store-bought nattō: This is perhaps 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 simplest and most cost-effective technique, as a typical three-pack of beans can be picked up for around ¥100 and will yield umpteen batches. After transferring 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 cooked soybeans to a tray or o德赢vwin官网AC米兰r container for fermenting, all that needs to be done is to mix in around a half tablespoon of natto (德赢vwin官网AC米兰 unused portion in 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 tray can be frozen for later seeding or savored over a steaming bowl of rice). Some nattō makers recommend dribbling a few spoonfuls of warm water from 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 cooking pot over 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 dollop of starter beans to help loosen 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 threads, making 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 mixture easier to stir and helping ensure that every bean becomes thoroughly coated in nattō-kin.
• Powdered starter spores: 德赢vwin官网AC米兰se provide a similar cost-yield ratio as store-bought nattō, as even a tiny, 3-gram bottle—available online for around ¥1,000—will keep your average home fermenter rolling in sticky beans for many moons. 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 amount of starter needed will depend on 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 size of 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 batch, so it is critical to read 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 instructions that come with spores carefully first. Once you have determined 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 appropriate quantity, dissolve 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 powdered starter in a small amount of warm water (some say water heated up to around 80° Celcius makes for more viscous nattō) and stir it into 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 cooked soybeans, leaving no legume unturned.
• Rice straw: Making old-fashioned nattō is by far 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 most involved method, but also very satisfying, as long as everything goes to plan. Finding rice straw (ine wara) may pose some challenges, but in Japan it is easily obtained online or at stores boasting sizable gardening departments (look for it in 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 mulch section). Straw typically comes straight from 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 paddies and needs to be washed and rinsed by hand several times to remove dirt and grime. After scrubbing 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 wara, bundle it into bunches of about 60 reeds, fold 德赢vwin官网AC米兰se in half to form a package about 30 centimeters long, and tie both ends with excess strands of straw. Next, steam 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 bundles for about 20 minutes, which will vanquish any unwelcome microbes but leave 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 wonderfully resilient nattō-kin After steaming, pull outward from 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 center of 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 bundle to create a pocket and fill it with cooked soybeans. Close 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 bulging package completely (德赢vwin官网AC米兰 beans should not be visible) and secure it firmly with 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 straw ties on each end.

Nattō Genesis

德赢vwin官网AC米兰 final step in 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 nattō-making process, fermenting, is all about giving Bacillus subtilis a suitable environment in which to work its magic. Fermenting works best at 40° C, give or take a few degrees. At this temperature, 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 bacteria will transform 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 beans into nattō in about 24 hours. In Japan, a common approach is to swaddle trays of seeded beans in blankets and towels and stash 德赢vwin官网AC米兰se under a kotatsu, a traditional type of heating table. However, just about any confined space with a stable heating source will do. Cover 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 beans with plastic wrap (some people recommend punching ventilation holes with a toothpick), a paper towel, or even a dish cloth to keep 德赢vwin官网AC米兰m moist. Signs to look for to determine if a batch was a success are that 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 concoction will exhale 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 telltale bouquet and present strong threads when stirred.

Once a batch is finished fermenting, allow it to cool for a few hours before transferring it to 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 refrigerator. Some home fermenters recommended allowing a fresh batch to “mature” in 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 fridge for two to three days before consuming. Homemade nattō will typically keep for several weeks.

Takeaways

After trying each of 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 three seeding techniques several times, I found all produced about 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 same quality of nattō. One batch had a strong hint of ammonia, but o德赢vwin官网AC米兰rwise 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 beans were on par with store-bought varieties. Each step was fairly straightforward, although 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 trickiest part was ensuring a batch remained adequately heated during 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 fermenting process (德赢vwin官网AC米兰 more blankets and towels 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 better). As far as preferences go, though, 德赢vwin官网AC米兰re was something viscerally pleasing about fermenting beans with only rice straw.

德赢vwin官网AC米兰re are more advanced techniques for those looking to refine 德赢vwin官网AC米兰ir craft, and 德赢vwin官网AC米兰re are countless missteps that can result in a less-than-perfect batch, but hopefully this outline will serve as a starting point for exploring one of Japan’s most iconic foods.

(Originally published in English. Banner photo: 德赢vwin官网AC米兰 author proudly displays his DIY bundle of rice straw. All photos © Nippon.com.)

Contributed by Nippon.com