We are making Natto-jiru, miso soup with fermented soybeans. This sticky natto soup is full of good nutrition and will warm you up in cold days. This is one of the healthiest soup you could ever try out so you should definitely give it a shot.
Cut the daikon radish into quarter moons. Slice them into 5 mm (0.2") slices.
Cut the carrot into half moons. Slice them into 5 mm (0.2") slices.
Peel the taro potato.
Cut the taro into 1 cm (0.4") rounds.
Remove the stems of the shiitake mushrooms. Cut the mushrooms in half.
Wrap the aburaage, then deep-fried tofu with a paper towel and press it with your hands. Flip it over and press it again to remove the excess oil.
Unwrap the aburaage and cut it into 4 cm (1.6") strips.
Remove the root part of the spring onion leaves. Stack the leaves together and chop them into fine pieces.
Let the dried baby sardines (iriko) soak in the water for about 30 minutes. Pour the dashi stock into the pot and turn on the burner.
When it’s boiled, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove the sardines with a mesh strainer.
Drop in the daikon radish, carrot, taro potato, shiitake mushrooms and aburaage. Heat the pot at high heat.
When it’s boiled again, remove the foam with the mesh strainer.
Put the lid on and simmer for about 10 minutes at low heat.
When the vegetables are cooked, ladle out some dashi stock from the pot and add it to the miso in the bowl.
Dissolve it thoroughly with a whisk.
Pour the dissolved miso into the pot.
Lightly stir with the ladle and turn off the burner.
This is natto, fermented soy beans. Don’t let the distinctive smell put you off. Natto is rich in vitamins and will bring unique flavor and texture to the soup.
Put the natto in the suribachi bowl and press with the tip of the surikogi pestle.
Next, grind it with the pestle in a circular motion. It will get very sticky, but no worries. This is totally fine for natto.
When it gets smooth, ladle out the miso soup from the pot and add it to the natto paste.
Continue to grind the natto and dilute it with the miso soup. If it is too thick, add extra miso soup and mix.
Now, it’s time to put the natto paste in the pot. Do it at once with no hesitation! Turn on the burner.
Even out the natto soup with the ladle.
When it starts to boil, turn off the burner.
Ladle the Natto-jiru in a bowl.
Sprinkle on the chopped spring onion leaves.
Recipe Notes
The gooey taro potato and sticky natto will keep the miso soup warm.
After adding natto, try not to boil the soup, otherwise some of the flavor will be lost.