Survival Sunday 28: What Did I Try?

So, it's not exactly a secret that Z & I have a subscription to Umai Crate. Umai Crate is a subscription box from Japan where you give them money, and they send you delicious noodles, ramen, udon, soups, snacks (sometimes), and fun or useful household items. So far, we have about a wall-full of boxes (which are great for Christmas & Birthday wrapping...) and a collection of noodles that would make someone on a low-carb diet explode with either envy or rage, depending on their chill level.

Usually, we eat what we're given because we love noodles of all kinds and have fairly adventurous palates.

Sometimes, we'll get something that has too much shrimp or shellfish in it and we give it to a friend who loves that kind of thing.

And sometimes, we receive something that's too weird not to try but also intimidating.

Case in point: In one of our latest crates, we found a package of soup. Now, it's a miso soup, and we love miso, but it's a raw miso soup, so we were already intrigued. Then we saw what else was in it.

Natto.

What is natto and why would that give us pause?

Natto is fermented soybeans. It's sticky. It's stinky. It's slimy. And it's occasionally referred to as the lutefisk of Japan. If you're from certain parts of Europe or you're Lutheran, you probably know what I'm talking about. If not, I strongly suggest looking it up.

Now, I like stinky food. I eat enough cheese that I'm probably 1/10 dairy at this point. I like smelly vegetables like Brussels Sprouts and cabbage. I legit enjoy sour or bitter foods. I like miso.

But I've never had natto. Our local sushi restaurant has a warning about natto being an acquired and divisive taste.

But if I can get over my fears of raw fish, raw eggs, and eel in a matter of months, then I was sure I could get over my fear of natto.

Besides, the stuff in the soup mix was dried! That meant that it would be milder.... I think.

Regardless, we prepared our soup. Two portions. One bowl.

And it was a bit... well... it wasn't a lutefisk stink. It wasn't so strong we had to open windows or take it outside. We didn't even offend our friend who was in the next room. It was about as strong a smell as a proper boiled dinner. It wasn't unpleasant (to me). Just kinda punky and odd.

Then we took it into the dining room and began to eat.

The soup itself was a very strong miso. It was salty, rich, and it had that warm, borderline bitter flavor that I love in miso, but stronger. The natto pieces were floating, rehydrated from the soup itself. It took a few spoonfuls of broth for me to get brave enough to take a taste. Actually, Z tried it first.

"Couscous," he said, thoughtfully. "It kinda tastes like weird, salty, cheesy, almost stale couscous."

And he was right.

It had a slightly grainy, overcooked bean texture, a little slick on the outside, but it was basically just a faintly cheesy (think Parmesan or Romano), salty, almost stale couscous flavor. Not unpleasant at all. Just odd.

I'd eat that again in a heartbeat, though I'm still a liiiiiiittle wary of the "fresh" stuff. (I put fresh in quotes because, again, this is a fermented food, so freshness is a relative state here.)

If you find yourself faced with a bowl of rehydrated natto miso soup, have no fear. Be bold. So long as you aren't allergic to, say, soy, you should be okay!

A shockingly good, if strange, lunch!

Well, that's all from me today!

Go Enjoy Something!
FC