Nattō, or natto, is a Japanese food that can be quite controversial. In fact, even here there are even Japanese who do not like nattō at all. It is one of those love it or hate it things.
Yet for those people that love it, they REALLY love it. So much so that it has even found its way into sushi. Okay, it isn’t like it doesn’t belong in sushi, however it is not a traditional Edomae style ingredient. That being said you can find it everywhere from kaitenzushi to upscale sushi restaurants – usually in the form of a makizushi or a gunkan.
What Is Nattō?
Natto is a dish of soybeans fermented with bacteria. It is really not that different than Europeans making cheese, however due to nattos sticky-slimy texture a lot of westerners are put off. Natto is similar to the Korean cheonggukjang.
In Japan, natto is frequently mixed with karashi mustard and soy sauce and eaten with rice for breakfast. You can find it in almost all grocery stores; It is usually in little plastic tubs that have been heat-plastic sealed. It is important to use natto quickly after you open it or the pungent smell can begin to have a rotten odor.
Make A Natto Makizushi!
What Do You Need To Make Hosomaki
Because hosomaki is a single filling makizushi you should cut your seaweed sheet in half. Actual tools you will need include:
- Makisu – the sushi rolling mat
- Knife – Interestingly, there is a specific knife used for slicing makizushi called a sushikiri (寿司切り). However I do not suggest you go and buy a specific Japanese knife just for this one purpose, your yanagi-ba or takohiki will work just fine (plus you need to slice the fish anyways). In fact, even a gyuto (chef’s knife) will work as the double bevel makes slicing rolls a little easier for most people. You can read more about Japanese sushi knives here.
Natto makizushi is part of the hosomaki family of sushi rolls. That means, like tekkamaki or kanpyomaki, there is only one filling (often green onion, or negi, does not count as an extra filling).
Because there is only one filling you only need half a sheet of nori. So cut your sheet in half and place it on your bamboo roller to begin.
Next, place your sushi rice in a thin layer over the seaweed, leaving a centimeter gap at the top to help with sealing. Use chopsticks to move some natto from the container to the rice and make a line down the middle (width-wise). If you want to add green onion you can do so as well. Then simply roll it up and slice into six even pieces.
Plate your natto makizushi and serve alongside your favorite shoyu!
Sushi Terms Used In This Article
nattō (納豆): a Japanese ingredient of bacteria-fermented soybeans with a sticky and slimy consistency
makizushi: a type of sushi where various ingredients are rolled in rice and seaweed and then cut into bite size pieces; Makizushi are usually eaten with chopsticks.
Edomae: a type of sushi that originated in Edo (Tokyo) in the 19th century
kaitenzushi: a conveyor belt sushi restaurant
nori: a type of edible seaweed used in various Japanese culinary fields
gunkan: a type of sushi where a strip of seaweed is wrapped around a mound of rice, leaving room at the top for a filling that would traditionally spill off a nigiri
karashi: Japanese brown mustard
makisu: a traditional sushi rolling mat commonly made of bamboo
yanagi-ba/takohiki: sashimi slicing knives
hosomaki: a type of makizushi with only one filling eg tuna, gourd, negitoro etc…
kampyomaki: a hosomaki with kanpyo, or dried gourd as the filling. This is considered the ‘first sushi roll’
tekkamaki: a hosomaki filled with a strip of tuna
negi: green onion
nori: dry seaweed
shoyu: soy sauce