How to homebrew Natto

How to homebrew Natto
(Fermented soy beans)

Natto(fermented soy-beans) is one of many very healthy, nutritious,economical foods,

which is now receiving much better appreciation.

Tofu (soy-bean cake) and Tonyu (soy-bean milk) are easy to make at home and become

very popular all over the world. When we make them at home, we will get a lot of solid

remainings which are also nutritious.

(We can make by solidifying Tonyu(soy-bean milk) using a small amount of

magnesium chloride.)

Somtimes we will feel somewhat troublesome to cook and eat such a big amount of

eatable remainings.

Natto is very simple to homebrew using your cooking tools. If you keep your cooked soy-beans

mixed with natto-kin at 104 degrees F(40degrees C) for 24 hours,you can get very nutritious,

preservable,fermented soy-beens.

(I am afraid that somebody hates the smell and stickiness of Natto.)

Natto had been my favorite food and I hadn't known how to homebrew it,until my American

homebrew friend,Mr.Jim Caldwell,taught me the method by sending Japanese made natto-kin.

I imported one of Japanese basic cultures from the USA and now enjoying homebrewing natto

for my healthy life together with my own healthy beers.

Following is my simple procedure.

Materials:

Soy-beans,1lb(454g)

Natto-kin,dry0.0１oz(0.3g) or commercial natto 0.7oz(20g)

(Natto-kin is very strong and alive even in a very hot water.

Use of Natto-kin is much recommendded.)

Equipment:

Steam cooker (Pressure steam cooker is much easier to cook soy-beans).

Basket to drain water.

Stainless steel bowl or tray,(equivalent plastic or glass container is usable)

Big spoon to mix natto-kin

Picnic cooler box or equivalent

Big plastic empty bottles (half gal.):4 pieces.

Procedure:

1.Wash and soak the 1lb(454g) of soy-beans for about 24 hours.

　During the hot summer, 10 hours will be enough.

2.Steam cook the soy-beans at least 3 hours so that the cooked soy-beans can be

　easily crushed by weak finger pressure between thumb and pinky.

3.Cool down the cooked soy-beans 122degF(50degC). Put the soy-beans into a stainless steel

　bowl,add 0.0１oz(0.3g) of natto-kin solved in 0.013gal(50cc) hot water and mix them well.

4.Put the bowl in a picnic cooler box together with 113degF (45degC) warm water bottles

　to keep the inside at 104degF (40degF) for 24 hours.

　The amount of the warm water will preferably be at least 2 gal(8 liters).

　You can divide these soy-bean mixture into smaller containers with lids.

　During fermentaion, natto needs enough air so put them in a picnic cooler box without lids.

　During fermentaion,the natto-kin generates heat to grow. It is rather easier to maintain

　the fermentaion temperature at 104 degrees F(40 degrees C),although we don't use

　any electric heater.

　f necessary, change the warm water to keep the temperature constant.

　I used a digital thermister thermometer to measure the temperature inside. It is very useful.

5.In 24 hours,you can get fermented soy-been,natto.

6.Now you can eat it. If you keep your natto in your refrigerator for a week

　you can get matured and improved tasty natto.

How to eat natto:

Take an eatable amount into a small container and stur it so that you can get strong

stickiness. Then further mix small amount of soy-sauce, mustard and sliced leeks.

If you eat natto together with a hot rice,it will be very tasty.

Of course you can use your natto as a material for various type of cookings,such as

omelet,tempura,sushi,sandwich and so on.

How to get natto-kin:

G.E.M. Cultures

30301 Sherwood Rd., Fort Bragg, CA 95437

Phone: 707-964-2922

Kushi Institute Store

Toll-Free: 1-800-64-KUSHI (1-800-645-8744)

e-mail: store@macrobiotics.org

Yuzo Takahashi Laboratory

2-1-7 Youka-machi Yamagata-shi

Yamagata-ken , Japan #990

Phone: +81-236-22-4001

Fax: +81-236-22-4002

Naruse Fermentation Laboratory

2-18-7 Nerima Nerima-ku

Tokyo, Japan #176

Phone: +81-3-3994-3939

I hope you are successful.

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