Mochi (Rice Cakes)

For those who loves mochi/Japanese rice cakes may like to know the many different types of mochi and how to prepare them (with a little twist):

ankoro-mochi = mochi with sweet red beans

abekawa-mochi = mochi with sweet soy powder (soy powder called kinako + sugar)

goma-mochi = mochi with sweet sesame powder (black/white sesame powder + sugar)

karami-mochi = mochi with grinded daikon radish and soy sauce

isobemaki-mochi = mochi dipped in soy sauce then wrapped in nori (dried seaweed)

su-mochi = mochi with grinded daikon radish and vinegar sauce or yuzu juice

kane-mochi = rich/having lots of money -> work smart and spend wisely

ebi-mochi = mochi with dried shrimp toppings

natto-mochi = mochi with natto toppings

chikara-mochi = physically strong -> regular exercise with protein supplement

Very Easy - Natto Recipe For Breakfast

If you have no time to prepare a easy & quick & healthy low fat breakfast, here is an idea - my favorite at home.   

Just prepare the following:

1 slice of wholewheat bread (or white if you can't eat wholewheat)

1 pack natto

30 gram of pizza cheese

1 slice of ham (if any)

How to make:

1. Mix natto well with the sauce (usually included in the pack) until it becomes sticky and spread it the way you would spread a jam on the bread

2. Cut ham into small slices and place them on top of natto

3. Then sprinkle pizza cheese evenly 

4. Grill it for 3 minutes

I usually have it with a glass of tomatoes juice with black sesame toppings and five strawberries.

This breakfast will give you not only the energy to start the day, but the lots of natural vitamins and minerals needed to keep you stay fit ;D

Tofu, Natto & Chinese Chive

Serve 1 person

Ingredients:

1/4 of block tofu (hard type)

1 small pack of natto

40 gr of Chinese chive

1/4 Advocado 

Warm rice (freshly cooked)

Sauce:

2 tsp of soy sauce

1 tsp of white sesame

1 tsp of mirin

Alternative of mirin is a mixture of sake + sugar, where you heat the mixture to get rid of alcohol in sake.   Mirin has somewhat more flavor than the mix of sake and sugar, simply because the sugar in mirin is produced naturally during the making of mirin.

How to make:

1. Drain water in tofu by putting the tofu on a strainer and lay a bowl on the top.

2. Boil the chinese chives for a 1-2 minutes, when it changes color, take it out and rinse it with cold water.

3. Slice the advocado and tofu into 5mm cubes

4. Prepare natto by stirring the natto well using a chopsticks or fork.   Natto actually tastes better after stirring as it becomes more sticky.  This sticky substance contain a lot of amino acid, which is good for our taste bud and our health

5. Mix the sauce with the other ingredients. 

6. Pour the mixture of a warm rice ready to eat.

If you have dry "ready to eat" seaweed (=nori) you can cut it into thin slices and use it as toppings.

Natto (Fermented Soy Beans)

I am not sure if you have heard of "natto" (or fermented soy beans) which is a traditional Japanese delicacies, which originally came from China.   Those who have bought or seen natto before may initially  wonder why people, especially the Japanese, eat such a peculiar food - it is sticky, slightly smelly and fermented.

I was one of them.  Not only that i think it is a strange food, i used to dislike it.  

The first time i ate natto was at my mother in-laws's house.   One of the Aunties called me to the kitchen to try her hand-made "natto".    She used a chopsticks to mix the natto with a little soy sauce and handed a small bowl of it to me.    "Try...  women in Japan loves this food" she said.    I thought to myself then, "... yeah, well, i am not a Japanese..." but i forced myself to gobble one spoon, and then politely said "Hm.. thank you, i think i tried enough". 

A few years of living in Japan taught me that only a few Japanese make natto at home - which means she meant well introducing me to a very rare food.   It took me another few years to realize how good is natto for health, especially women.   I saw a program on TV about the health benefits of natto.   I then went to the library to double check.   Here is what i found:

1. Because it is a fermented food, the living culture in natto works in our stomach to attack bacterias or other germs that enter our body.

2. It contains a lot of vitamin B2, B6, A and C, proteins, protease, amylaze, katalaze and substances that are only found in natto which works effectively to improve blood circulation

3. Reduce the risk of stroke & heart attack because of its positive effect on improving quality of blood and its circulation

4. It helps to improve fertility as it helps the activity of organs during the production of female hormones

Nowadays, i eat natto at least once a week  ( i should eat more, really).   I have been searching for more recipes using natto and realized that it is not only nutritious but delicious food.   The smell of fermentation can be reduced by taking an extra steps to process the food.   You will be surprised that it does not take a lot to prepare it.

Why not check out a Japanese shop near you and see if they sell natto.    My favorite yummy "natto" recipes are coming soon!

FYI: The photo of a woman on the right is Yoshinaga Sayuri, a 63 years old actress.   I also saw an interview of her on TV about her favorite food and the secret of her youth: yes, she loves natto!