Right here is my recipe for a vivid and colourful Mediterranean model natto bowl! It is a nice solution to introduce these well-known Japanese fermented beans to first time eaters, as the mix of contemporary greens, creamy feta cheese, and bitter and fruity rice vinegar assist to mellow the style and scent.
Consuming natto will be difficult in case you are not acquainted with the style or the feel. The primary time I had natto I didn’t actually know what to make of it. The feel was extraordinarily slimy and sticky, and the style was so distinctive, I had no phrases to explain it. It had a powerful umami and earthy ingredient that’s very acquainted to cheese and mushrooms, and a slight bitterness much like espresso. It additionally has a powerful and sharp scent that isn’t significantly nice.
It’s a type of “you both adore it or hate it” sort of meals. I personally adore it and discover that it pairs extraordinarily properly with many various flavors. Historically, natto is served with white rice and seasoned with a little bit tare sauce and yellow mustard. Oftentimes it’s topped with a uncooked egg yolk and a drizzle of soy sauce (like tamago kake gohan). I ate it that manner for a few years as a result of it’s the one manner I knew how one can. That’s till I found that it paired properly with so many taste combos! Since then I’ve been consuming natto with kimchi and sesame oil, avocado and cucumber, pickled plum and gochujang, and with Mediterranean flavors like feta cheese and top quality drizzling olive oil.
Elements
- Soy sauce: Soy sauce and natto go hand in hand collectively! Each are full of umami and earthy flavors and steadiness one another out. Be certain that to make use of common Japanese soy sauce because it has the proper steadiness of candy and savory.
- Rice vinegar: Rice vinegar is acidic, a little bit fruity, and a little bit candy. Mixing a little bit with soy sauce tones down the pungent style of natto, mellowing it and making it simpler to eat.
- Top quality olive oil: I like to recommend utilizing a top quality olive oil that can be utilized for drizzling over salads because it has a stunning floral, fruity, and barely spicy taste and aroma.
- Natto: Any sort of natto will do. I personally like smaller beans as a result of they’re simpler to eat and barely much less pungent. However be happy to make use of bigger beans (o-tsubu natto) or crushed ones (hikiwari natto).
- Rice: I at all times use white or brown Japanese brief grain rice, however be happy to make use of no matter sort of rice you prefer to eat probably the most.
- Greens: A mixture of cherry tomatoes, cucumber, shallot, avocado, and leafy greens, so as to add freshness and a few crunch.
- Feta cheese: Crumbled feta cheese provides a creamy and salty ingredient to the natto bowl.
Variations
- Make it spicy: Sprinkle some ichimi togarashi or add a freshly chopped jalapeño pepper or Thai chili.
- Make it vegan: Swap the feta cheese for a vegan cheese or some chopped walnuts.
- Make it refreshing: As an alternative of utilizing soy sauce, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of contemporary lemon juice.
- Add contemporary herbs: For further taste and a brighter style, prime with freshly chopped basil or oregano.
How To Make It
Scroll all the way down to the recipe card for the total recipe.
- Chop the greens.
- Make the dressing.
- Fill two bowls with rice and place the natto within the middle.
- Add the chopped greens across the natto and prime with the dressing. Get pleasure from!
Knowledgeable Tip
Use contemporary elements: Use vivid and candy cherry tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, crispy lettuce, moist feta cheese, a wonderfully ripe avocado, and a few freshly made rice, for a premium high quality Mediterranean natto bowl.
Storage
Fridge: To eat later, don’t assemble the bowl. As an alternative, hold the chopped greens – apart from the avocado – in a storage container with a lid, and refrigerate till you’re able to eat. Solely chop the avocado proper earlier than consuming to forestall the colour from turning brown. Make the dressing and reserve it in a jar or storage container. Set it apart till your bowl is assembled and able to eat.
Leftovers: This recipe sadly doesn’t hold properly as soon as the bowl is put collectively. The mix of slimy natto and dressing poured over the rice renders the dish mushy the longer it sits round. It’s greatest to eat it contemporary.
How To Eat This Natto Bowl
This natto bowl will be served for lunch or dinners, and is filling sufficient to be a predominant. If you’re seeking to full the meal with some sides, listed below are some that can marry properly with the Mediterranean flavors of this bowl:
Different uniquely flavored recipes you may like: Nasu dengaku, do-it-yourself vegan kimchi, tteokbokki, hijiki salad, dan dan noodles, curry udon, smacked cucumber with chili oil, and Szechuan potato with vinegar and chili.
Incessantly Requested Questions
Natto that has not been opened will hold within the fridge for 3 to 4 weeks. If the bundle is opened it needs to be consumed inside every week.
Sure, you completely can! I’ve made this recipe utilizing half quinoa combined with half brief grain brown rice. Natto can be usually served with pasta in Japan so it’s not bizarre to make use of noodles as an possibility.
Any sort of goat cheese will work properly with this natto bowl. Parmesan or gruyere can be scrumptious however the total style might be extra sharp.
Did you strive my natto bowl recipe? Are there modifications you made that you just wish to share? Share your ideas and proposals within the feedback part beneath!
Description
A colourful and attractive natto rice bowl full of Mediterranean elements and served with a easy olive oil, soy sauce, and rice vinegar dressing.
- 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoon good high quality olive oil
- 2 packs natto
- 2 cups cooked Japanese rice, heat or scorching
- 6 t0 8 cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup cucumber, diced
- 2 tablespoons shallot or pink onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup feta cheese
- 1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted, and chopped
- Handful greens equivalent to child spinach, romaine, or iceberg, shredded
- Make the dressing: Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and olive oil in a small bowl and put aside.
- Season the natto: Use the seasoning packets that include the natto and stir to mix.
- Add the rice to bowls: Divide the rice amongst 2 serving bowls.
- Add the natto: Place the natto on the rice, within the middle.
- Add the toppings: Going across the natto, add the tomatoes, cucumber, shallot, feta, avocado, and greens. It ought to seem like a rainbow of shade surrounding the natto.
- Season and serve: Drizzle the dressing over the natto rice bowl and serve.
Vitamin
- Serving Dimension: 1 serving
- Energy: 689
- Sugar: 7.3g
- Sodium: 687mg
- Fats: 35.6g
- Saturated Fats: 9.6g
- Unsaturated Fats: 6.2g
- Trans Fats: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 73.3g
- Fiber: 8.7g
- Protein: 23.6g
- Ldl cholesterol: 33.4mg
