Thursday, July 10, 2025

Natto Breakfast 2.0

 


I had some interesting experiences with Natto, since I started having Natto breakfasts on occasion. In this neighborhood, the only source I have found for natto has been Chang-Li Supermarker, for they have a significant oriental clientele. So they are my go-to for oriental specialties from tofu, to seitan, to miso and, but of course, natto. I wrote about it here before.
At that time, they had mostly imported natto, obviously from Japan, since it is Japanese custom. I had some mishaps when the natto occasionally was bad out of the box, and the problem was they kept it refrigerated, but it should be kept frozen, and they changed the storage, but also, they added a new variety, Rhapsody natto, which is US made, and delicious. 

It is my favorite right now, so I have updated my recipe:

  • 1/4 portion Rhapsody natto
  • 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp Yondu fermented veggie broth
  • 1/4 tsp Wasabi
  • 1, 2, or three scallions, sliced fine.
The results are below in pictures:

And here is the Rhapsody website, with good nutritional information.



One serving of natto (about 100g/3.5oz) contains:

  • 22% RDV Dietary Fiber
  • 22% RDV Calcium
  • 22% RDV Vitamin C
  • 48% RDV Iron
  • 6% Vitamin B6
  • 76% Manganese
  • 29% Magnesium
  • 21% Potassium
  • 20% Zinc

And, as you can tell, I like a mixed rice. In this case I use a mixture of black rice and brown basmati.







Sunday, July 6, 2025

More about Purslane

This is just an anecdote:

I love a potato salad with Purslane (Verdolaga in Spanish).

In Europe I knew a variant that we call postelein - see here: 

https://en.jardin-planet.com/17827588-postelein-cultivation-care-and-use

It seems to be rare today in my native Holland, and it is considered a 'forgotten' vegetable.


The version I find here mostly in Mexican or other Latino stores, is Verdolaga, or Purslane.

The version I find here has smaller, and thicker leaves and heavier stems. 

https://www.almanac.com/purslane-health-benefits-and-recipes


I posted here before my favorite recipe, with this style of Purslane/Verdolaga:

https://starlingaveplantbased.blogspot.com/2024/08/econo-wfpb-3-fingeling-potatoes-with.html