Natto Jiru Ground Natto Miso Soup

Quick answer

Total time: 65 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 5 servings
Ingredients: 11

About this dish

Natto jiru is a Yamagata winter home soup that grinds natto until the beans nearly disappear, then dissolves it into miso broth filled with dried taro stems, tofu, fried tofu, konnyaku, mushrooms, and mountain vegetables.

The dish drew on preserved foods such as homemade natto, dried imogara stems, and salted greens to endure winters with limited fresh ingredients. Depending on the area, it also appeared at New Year, Nanakusa, and Daikokusama observances. Natto is pressed bean by bean in a mortar rather than whipped into long strings, producing a smoother paste that disperses through the soup. Imogara is soaked in warm water and rinsed, while fried tofu and konnyaku are separately blanched before all the ingredients are cut to similar dice. Once the solids are tender, miso seasons the broth slightly strongly. Heat is turned off before the ground natto enters, and reheating stops just short of a boil to preserve fermented aroma and gentle viscosity.

Ingredients (5 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
natto	200	g
firm tofu	80	g
dried taro stems	8	g
fried tofu pouches	60	g
konnyaku	50	g
mixed mushrooms	100	g
prepared mountain vegetables	100	g
dashi stock	1200	ml
miso	90	g
Japanese long onion	20	g
Japanese parsley	20	g

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

8 steps

1

Step

Place 200g natto in a large mortar.

Instead of stirring first, press and crush each bean with the pestle, then grind in circles until almost no whole beans remain and a thick paste forms.
2

Season

Soak 8g dried imogara in warm water for 20 minutes and rinse through two changes of water.

Squeeze firmly and cut into 1cm pieces. If the mountain vegetables are salted, soak to desalinate and cut bite-size.
3

Heat

Pour boiling water over 60g fried tofu to remove oil and boil 50g konnyaku for 2 minutes.

Cut tofu, fried tofu, and konnyaku into 1cm dice; trim mushrooms and mountain vegetables bite-size.
4

Control

Bring 1.2L dashi and the imogara to a boil and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

Add konnyaku, fried tofu, mushrooms, and mountain vegetables and cook 8 minutes more until tender.
5

Control

Add 80g tofu and warm for 2 minutes.

Ladle 200ml broth into a bowl, dissolve 90g miso smoothly, return it to the pot, and stir over low heat for 2 minutes without boiling.
6

Step

Turn off the heat.

Whisk 250ml hot miso broth into the ground natto in three additions, pass through a fine sieve, and stir it into the pot without lumps.
7

Control

Return the pot to low heat and warm for 3 to 5 minutes while stirring the bottom.

Turn off the heat when small edge bubbles appear but before the soup boils.
8

Finish

Thinly slice 20g long onion and cut 20g Japanese parsley into 2cm lengths.

Ladle the hot soup into five bowls, top evenly with both herbs, and serve immediately.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: 200g natto ground until nearly smooth
Finish cue: Add konnyaku, fried tofu, mushrooms, and mountain vegetables and cook 8 minutes more until tender.
Storage and reheating: Heat is turned off before the ground natto enters, and reheating stops just short of a boil to preserve fermented aroma and gentle viscosity.