Japanese Natto: A Quick Guide

If you’re all about eating healthy, you’re probably always on the lookout for healthy ingredients that add pizzazz to your dishes without breaking the bank. If you love Japanese food, you should consider incorporating natto beans into your arsenal.

What is Natto?

Natto is a traditional Japanese food derived from fermented soybeans. Japanese natto is a popular breakfast food in the Land of the Rising Sun. It’s often eaten with rice and toppings such as chopped scallions, soy sauce, and mustard. You can also enjoy it as a healthy side dish.

Natto Japanese food is considered a healthy ingredient. It’s an excellent protein source for people on a Vegetarian or plant-based diet. However, natto beans have a strong smell that might take a while to get used to.

What Makes Natto Healthy

There are plenty of natto benefits, which is why it’s a must-try for healthy foodies. Natto food is very rich in vitamins and minerals. It contains fiber, iron, calcium, and magnesium. Natto also contains healthy bacteria that are good for one’s gut health and boost one’s immune system.

Natto is also good for the heart. Natto beans are packed with an enzyme called nattokinase, which may improve one’s blood flow and lower heart disease risk. Plus, natto has anti-inflammatory properties and is considered good for bone health.

How To Eat Natto

You can eat natto like a traditional Japanese person by serving it over rice and toppings. However, you can enjoy it as a side dish for meaty meals like samgyupsal. Our pork samgyupsal recipe features Knorr Liquid Seasoning and natto beans, which can help balance out the meat. 

Another awesome idea would be to add it to your favorite fried rice, like tinapa fried rice. Our tinapa fried rice has Knorr Chicken Cube for some added meaty flavor.

Want to try some Korean-Japanese fusion at home? You can add natto to some kimchi rice for a simple yet delectable way to infuse both cuisines. Our kimchi rice recipe has some Knorr Liquid Seasoning for some umami flavor. 

If you want to enjoy natto food for breakfast, you can also try adding it to some toast. Our chicken lava toast recipe has added linamnam goodness thanks to Lady’s Choice Chicken Spread. 

Natto beans also taste great with bread. You can use Japanese natto as a filling of your favorite bread, like Banana Pecan Bread. Our Banana Pecan Bread recipe is made special with Lady’s Choice Real Mayonnaise. 

These are only some of the easy ways you can natto-fy your life. This humble Japanese food can add some unique flavor and much-needed nutrients to your dishes. So why natto not?