Natto Pizza. Original - different - tasty!

Natto pizza? Yes. Quite true.


Yes - natto.


Natto? It has been described in very negative terms by quite a range of people. "Satan's toe jam", "Godzilla jizz", "rotting squirrel testes" and some other more negative comments have been shared with me in person by some friends who don't fancy natto. What guys like Anthony Bourdain say about it is worse. Far worse. The negative comments are personal opinions and in my opinion, they're quite over-exaggerated.


What's natto? Fermented soy beans. It looks like miniature baked beans covered in stringy mucous-like cum and has a smell and taste that takes a little getting used to. In Japan, it's a popular breakfast food. I've spent my time rocking around Asia and my wife is Chinese. However, what is marked as "one serve" is really quite plenty for both of us. Rather quite more than plenty. It may be healthy food, but it's a little bit disgusting.

Pizza is yeasty goodness. New York style pizza is yeasty goodness with uber-overload of toppings, but it includes some other ingredients that are needed in commercial pizza. Pizza from the franchise delivery guys, well, you can eat it but it helps if you have been drinking or otherwise indulging in past-times that make one rather hungry. Commercial pizza isn't so healthy and it's barely natural.


When I was in Japan on business a long, long time ago (albeit not in a galaxy far away), I was presented some natto for breakfast by friends. I ate it. Those dear friends, made me eat it with a spoon without dressing of any kind and that's it. It is more usually consumed with a bowl of rice, some mustard and soy and whatever other condiments you desire.


Plain natto is not pleasant. Acquired taste? It's quite special. And this comment comes from a guy who loves to eat durian (in the mouth it feels like custard, but somehow it's as if the custard was made with onions... an incongruous flavour combination at best and quite unpalatable to most... at best).


tl;dr? It's a strong ingredient. Stinky, sticky. The kind of thing for which only a Japanese porn actress could confess an undying enjoyment and desire.


So you ask the obvious question "What the f#%k is this stuff doing on a pizza?".


I'm going to be honest. Frank. Brutal.


My wife went away for three weeks to China... business trip and visiting with family. I like natto for breakfast - to share with her. One pod, two people each day, plus nuked fresh greens, mini-Jap-omelette and rice. I bought natto. The usual amount. However, staying home alone...

Other more conventional western breakfasts sought my attention. Think of my breakfasts as my "sly affair" in the absence of my wife. Waffles. Pancakes. Bacon and eggs. Eggs Benedict. You feel me?


Therefore, I have leftover natto. Four pods.


Tonight, I want pizza.


I'm not usually afraid of an ingredient but this is one that I have some caution about. Good grief - even the mighty Iron Chefs have some caution about this one.


So here, dear friends, is how to dispose of the evidence - natto in this case - on a pizza.


Start off with a basic dough mix:

* 150 g plain flour
* 15 gluten flour
* 5 g salt
* 10 g sugar
* 15 g yeast
* 120 mls warm water.

Make a nice firm dough, knead it until your arms ache (about 15 minutes) then oil it, place it in a bowl in a warm place, cover it in cling wrap and let it rise for about 30 - 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 22C fan-forced (240C+ for conventional).

Throw the risen dough-ball onto a well-oiled tray on which you wish to bake the pizza. Stretch the dough by hand until it matches the baking surface or the shape you want the pizza to be.

Add your sauce, cheese and other preferred ingredients and then - the natto.

Bake.

Eight minutes on the pan.

Eight minutes on the rack.

Done.

Tasty pizza and healthy natto.


Best thing? The natto stink is lost in the cooking. There is still some flavour from it, but the healthy aspects of it are still mostly present.


Enjoy!!!


Cheers - Fermented.