Next Round: Shirakiku brand natto.
This variety of natto is somewhat wetter than some of the others, so it went well with some of my 8-grain rice, which cooks up a bit dry. The seasoning pack features sweet rice wine, bonito and fish sauce, lending a savory fish aroma but also subtle sweetness.
Natto comes in many types, with various sizes and species of soybean, different sauces and textures, and the beans may be prepared chopped or whole. Commercially packed natto can be pretty enigmatic sitting in its little styrofoam boxes in the freezer case at a Japanese grocery, so I've tried to photograph what's in the boxes as well, and how they look with the sauce mixed in, to give you an idea of the differences between them.
