Recipes

Natto with Grated Daikon

Give the slippery fermented beans a chance in this simple—and vegan!—Japanese breakfast.

  • Serves

    4

  • Time

    22 minutes

Natto with Grated Daikon
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AYA BRACKETT. REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF PHAIDON

By Nancy Singleton Hachisu


Published on June 2, 2023

Natto has diehard fans, but some people cannot get past the thick whipped-up threads surrounding the beans. Here, the natto is not aerated, and the spicy wetness of grated daikon helps mitigate the fermented funkiness, rendering the dish much more widely appealing and a tasty, healthy bite to start the day.

Try to source natto made locally rather than in Japan; imported natto is typically frozen for shipping and loses some of its unusual delicacy. (We like the New York-make NYrture brand—look for it in local specialty stores or online.) Konbu dashi is easy to make from scratch, and a batch can be used to make a variety of vegetarian Japanese dishes.

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. konbu dashi
  • 2 tsp. sake
  • 2 tsp. hon mirin
  • 1 tsp. usukuchi shoyu
  • ¾ cup (6 oz.) small-bean natto
  • ⅔ cup (3½ oz.) finely grated daikon

Instructions

Step 1

In a small pot over medium heat, bring the konbu dashi, sake, and mirin to a simmer. Stir in the usukuchi shoyu, pour into a small glass measuring cup, and set aside until just barely warm, about 10 minutes.

Step 2

Divide the natto among four miso soup bowls. Spoon the grated daikon over one half of the natto in each bowl. Add the cooled dashi and serve.

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