Natto curry is rich, creamy, flavourful, slimy and pure comfort. Serve over rice with a drizzle of mayo or avocado.
I tried natto curry for the first time last year at Coco-ichi and it’s become one of my favourite ways to eat natto.
What is Natto Curry?
Natto curry is a delicious and nutritious dish that combines the unique flavor and texture of fermented soybeans with the rich and savory taste of curry. Natto is a traditional Japanese food made from soybeans that have been fermented with a special type of bacteria, resulting in a distinctive taste and texture. When combined with the warm and aromatic spices of curry, natto adds a deep umami flavor and a satisfying chewiness to the dish. This recipe is a perfect fusion of Japanese and Indian cuisines, and is a great way to introduce natto to those who have never tried it before. In this recipe, we will show you how to make a flavourful and healthy natto curry that is both easy and quick to prepare.
How to Make Natto Curry
There are three components to natto curry:
- curry sauce
- Japanese short grain rice
- natto – homemade or store bought
You can cook the curry from scratch, cook the rice and defrost the natto, but it does take a bit more time. Plus, curry typically tastes better the next day so I typically cook the curry the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight.
Choose your curry sauce:
- Coco-ichi style curry (smooth curry sauce)
- Home-style vegan Japanese curry (chunky)
- Single serving Japanese curry (chunky)
To make it even simpler, use leftovers! Anytime I make curry, I always make extra and freeze in individual servings for quick and easy meals. I also always freeze individual servings of rice and natto. Think of this like… a freezer meal. Simply reheat the curry in the microwave or over the stove, reheat the rice and thaw the natto. Pour the curry over the rice and then top with natto.
To make natto curry even more delicious, I love adding a creamy element like kewpie mayo, avocado and cheese. I know it sounds strange, but trust me on this one. The creamy element takes the curry to a whole new level of yum. And then with some fukushinzuke (pickles Japanese pickles) ✨ immaculate ✨.
Storage
Natto curry should be stored with all the ingredients separated. See how to make natto for further information.
Top tip
Avoid heating the natto at high temperatures to preserve it’s probiotic and benefital enzymes. Allow it to come to room temperature naturally or thaw overnight and let the heat from the curry and rice warm it up.
Related
More delicious ways to eat natto to try:
Soups & Stews
Natto Jiru (納豆ジル)
Japanese Recipes
Natto Donburi (Rice Bowls)
All recipes
How to Make Homemade Natto
If you recreate this Natto Curry recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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Natto Curry
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Natto curry is rich, creamy, flavourful, slimy and pure comfort. Serve over rice with a drizzle of mayo or avocado.
Ingredients
- your choice of curry sauce (see blogpost for options)
- natto, thawed
- cooked Japanese short grain rice
Optionals
- fukshinzuke (Japanese pickles), for serving
- kewpie mayo
- avocado
Instructions
- Make your choice of curry sauce: quick single serving Japanese curry, Coco-ichi style Japanese curry, Vegan Japanese home-style curry
- Cook Japanese short grain rice with a rice cooker or donabe. If you have leftover rice, reheat in the microwave.
- Thaw natto overnight in the fridge if making curry sauce and rice from scratch or room temperature while reheating the curry and rice.
- Pour curry sauce over the rice and top with natto. Garnish with fukushinzuke. Mix it all up and drizzle with a little kewpie mayo. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Prep and cook time is based on using leftovers.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Japanese
