As far as natto is concerned, the world seems to be divided into two camps: Hate & Repulsion, or Natto Love. I am an expat of the former, trying to find a home in the later.
Once I got around to trying the mythical natto, it almost felt anti-climatic. The sweaty-feet smell was not as offensive as some of my favorite cheeses. It was the otherworldliness of the neba neba slime that took me aback. That just felt sooo wrong to consume. But once I got past that, I found the flavor to be mildly beany and nutty with a pleasantly bitter finish that reminded me of roasted coffee.
The main reason that I want to love natto is for its nutritional value, as confirmed by a reader:
"…since then I have made a good contact with a scientist who has managed to use natto for a better purpose, he found it contains a fantastic element called K2, if you have 0.35micrograms of K2 in your diet it reduces your risk of heart disease by a massive 52%!!!! Thats why the japanese have less heart disease in the country than any other, well until the west introduced McDonalds!"
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Soy milk also divides the masses, but leaves the majority of us ambivalent and about as neutral as its flavor. Soy milk is a stable emulsion of oil, water, and protein. It contains 3.5% protein–about the same as cow's milk, but with far less saturated fat and 0 cholesterol.
Soybeans also have the distinction of being a plant source whose protein content can mimic dairy in its ability to coagulate and curdle.
rehydrated soybeans dried soybeans
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soy milk rehydrated soybeans and water
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yuba Yuba is the coagulated protein skin that forms on the surface of heated soy milk. It can be used as a wrapper for sweet or savory fillings or crisped in hot oil
yuba miso roll miso, peanut butter, and okara enclosed in yuba with sweet shoyu dipping sauce
yuba crisp dehydrated yuba, fried in hot oil
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bean curd (tofu) soy milk curdled with lime juice and pressed
Nutrition and versatility are certainly worthy enough reasons to explore the humble soybean, but there is another logic to all this soyfulness….
Playing with Fire and Water 
Very cool, Linda. I have been wanting to make tofu at home for a while now. If fact, my desire to make tofu is much stronger than any urge I may have to make cheese. We consume a good deal of it at home. The only hesitation… space. My kitchen is extremely small for timely projects. Perhaps I can camp it in the walk-in at the hotel.
Nice shot of the tofu skin. This is one of my favorite soy incarnations. The texture is amazing and so damn versatile… pieces floating in soup, soft rolls, fried, etc.
Your home kitchen must be a very interesting place.
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Amazing! I’d love to make tofu and soymilk but I have a little kitchen packed with annoying flatmates.
Hope you’ll post more about soy 😀
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I’m a fan of natto, but yeah it is a tough sell for most Westerners. I wouldn’t dare try to serve it to most folks. Hmm, how about a natto/okra snot pairing :)?
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Stumbled upon ur site when i was googling for info on chemical reaction of lime juice being pour to soya bean milk.. somehow my soya milk becomes a little flaky…will it turn to bean curb if i pour more lime juice?
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I didn’t know that tofu could be solidified with lime juice. Thanks!
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