SOYA CHEESE NATTO
Natto is an ancient Japanese product made with fermented soy
beans and bacterial culture „Bacillus subtilus natto“. It is a significant
source of proteins, calcium, iron, vitamins B6, B2 and enzymes. It
supports the digestion process, purifies our blood and makes our skin
look smoother and younger. Natto has a distinctive smell (somewhat
akin to a pungent cheese). Stirring the natto produces lots of long,
sticky strings. Results of our research show that people who are used
to eating a lot of milk products do not like natto so much. On the other hand, it is commonly used by
vegetarians and people with macrobiotic diets.
HOW TO MAKE NATTO
To make our own natto, we wash organic soy beans and soak them in water for 4 – 6 hours. We strain the
water. Next, we put soy beans into a pressure cooker and pour enough water on them. Next, we start
cooking them but we do not cover the pot yet. It is necessary to remove foam, impurities and soy peels
from the water surface. We keep doing that until there is no foam at all. Then we lower the flame, put
a cover onto the pressure cooker and let it boil for 30-50 minutes (without salt) until the soy beans are
soft enough to mash them using your fingers only. Low heat is necessary to prevent the beans from
creating too much foam which may clog the valves. When you finish cooking, let the pressure cooker
cool down (without opening) for about 10 minutes. Then strain the water and remove the soy beans, dry
them and cool them down to ca 40 °C – they must be warm (not too hot). Dust the beans with the starter
and stir thoroughly.
Next, put the soy beans into a larger dish (made from stainless steel or glass) and take care not have a
layer higher than 5 cm. Next, close the dish using an airtight cover to keep the soy beans in moist
environment. Put it into a warm place or the bread maker (with temperature set at 40 °C) and leave it
there without opening the cover for 10 – 30 hours.
Bacterial culture natto must be living, not heat treated. Historically, natto was made by storing the
steamed soy beans in rice straw, which naturally contains Bacteria subtilis natto. The soybeans were
packed in straw and left to ferment in a warm place.
When we remove natto from the bread maker, we divide the fermented beans into smaller preserving
jars and put them into the fridge or a freezer for a short time. Natto must be cooled to stop the
fermentation process. If it continued, natto would become inedible.
Natto is aged enough when there is a distinctive smell and you can see typical sticky strings after
opening the jar.
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