Natto / 納豆

オランダに来て以来、納豆は手作りしている。アジア食品店や宅配サービスなどで納豆を買うことができるが、日本の１０倍以上の値段がする上に冷凍製品だ。大豆は有機製品が５００gあたり１.７ユーロほどで近くのスーパーやオンラインショップで手に入る。黒豆は５００gあたり２ユーロ程度。大豆を煮るのに以前は圧力鍋、炊飯器などを使っていたが、現在は真空保温調理器を使って炊いている。オランダはエネルギー代が高額なので、沸騰させるまでのガス代しかかからない保温調理器は重宝する。好みの硬さに炊いた大豆に少し水飴を絡めた納豆をくわえ、よくかき混ぜて小分けにし、キッチンペーパーをゴムバンドで蓋をする。夏は保温器の中に、冬はヒーターの上に寝る前に並べておけば翌朝には美味しい納豆の出来上がり。 ---

Since I came to the Netherlands, I have been making homemade Natto/納豆. You can buy ready-made natto at Asian food stores and home delivery services, but it is ten times more expensive than the price in Japan and it is a frozen product. Soybeans can be obtained at nearby supermarkets and online shops for around 1.7 euros for 500g of organic products. A 500-gram pack of organic black beans cost about 2 euros. Previously, pressure cookers and rice cookers were used to boil soybeans, but now, they are cooked using thermal cookers. Energy costs are very high in the Netherlands, so a thermal cooker or a vacuum flask cooker is cost-effective to save on gas.Add the soybeans cooked to the desired firmness to the natto with fermented bacteria mixed with a little starch syrup, which activates the fermentation process. Mix them well and divide into small portions in individual containers, then cover with kitchen paper secured with a rubber band. If we arrange them up in an insulated container in summer and in a heater in winter before going to bed, we can have delicious natto the next morning.