Stamina Natto (Ground Chicken and Natto Rice Bowl)
スタミナ納豆 · Sutamina Natto
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Stamina Natto is a school lunch favorite that comes from Tottori Prefecture, where it has long been one of the most requested dishes on the kyushoku menu. Ground chicken is stir-fried with green onions, ginger and garlic, seasoned with a gentle miso-soy sauce, and then folded together with chopped natto and spooned over warm rice. The savory, slightly sweet chicken mellows the natto's strong flavor, so even children who usually turn their noses up at natto tend to clean their bowls. A dash of Tabasco is the classic finishing touch for older kids and adults, while the toddler version is made milder and served without it.
Toddlers to adults. Portion out the children's share before the final seasoning, then season the rest for adults.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce and miso (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow them, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 42 gground chicken
- 9 ggreen onions
- 3 gsesame oil
- 24 ghikiwari natto (chopped natto)Fermented soybeans that are cracked into small pieces before fermenting, giving a finer texture that is easy for young children to eat. Substitute: Regular natto, roughly chopped.
Seasonings (A)
- 1.5 gginger paste (tube)Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 1.5 ggarlic paste (tube)Grated garlic sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh garlic for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated garlic in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
Seasonings (B)
- 4.2 gmirinMirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
- 1.8 gsoy sauce
- 0.9 gsugar
- 2.4 gmisoFermented soybean paste. Salty and savory, it is Japan's everyday seasoning for miso soup and many simmered dishes. Substitute: Any light (white or awase) miso. Misos differ in saltiness, so start with a little less and taste. Some misos are made with barley or wheat, so check the label if you avoid them.
Toppings
- to tastehot sauce of your choice (Tabasco, doubanjiang, chili oil, etc.)Any spicy condiment used to add heat; doubanjiang is a Chinese chili bean paste and ra-yu is Japanese chili oil. Substitute: Tabasco or any hot sauce you have on hand.
To Finish
- 0.9 cup (rice bowl)warm cooked rice
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- hikiwari natto (chopped natto) (ひきわり納豆)
- Fermented soybeans that are cracked into small pieces before fermenting, giving a finer texture that is easy for young children to eat. Substitute: Regular natto, roughly chopped.
- ginger paste (tube) (生姜チューブ)
- Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- garlic paste (tube) (にんにくチューブ)
- Grated garlic sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh garlic for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated garlic in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- mirin (みりん)
- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
- miso (みそ)
- Fermented soybean paste. Salty and savory, it is Japan's everyday seasoning for miso soup and many simmered dishes. Substitute: Any light (white or awase) miso. Misos differ in saltiness, so start with a little less and taste. Some misos are made with barley or wheat, so check the label if you avoid them.
- hot sauce of your choice (Tabasco, doubanjiang, chili oil, etc.) (辛味調味料（タバスコ・豆板醤・ラー油など）)
- Any spicy condiment used to add heat; doubanjiang is a Chinese chili bean paste and ra-yu is Japanese chili oil. Substitute: Tabasco or any hot sauce you have on hand.
Directions
Video is in Japanese — the steps below are synced to it, so tap ▶ on a step to jump to that moment.
- 1
Thinly slice the green onions. Stir the hikiwari natto well until it turns sticky. Note: If you use pre-cut green onions, you can make this without a knife or cutting board.
- 2
Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan, add the ground chicken, green onions and seasonings (A), and stir-fry over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through. Note: If you are also making a toddler version, stir-fry with only about 70% of the combined amount of (A), then move on to step 3.
- 3
Add seasonings (B) and stir-fry briefly over low heat until everything is well coated, then turn off the heat and let it cool slightly. Note: For toddlers, make it with about 70% of the combined amount of (B) and set their portion aside. For elementary-school age and up, add the (A) held back in step 2 and the remaining seasonings, tasting as you go, and stir-fry briefly. Continue from step 4 for both versions.
- 4
Once cooled slightly, add the hikiwari natto and a small dash of hot sauce and mix briefly. Serve over the rice. Note: For toddlers, leave out the hot sauce and serve over rice.
Tips for Making It Delicious
• Natto's enzymes are sensitive to heat, so add it only after the chicken mixture has cooled slightly. It's a small extra step that helps you get the full nutritional benefit.
• A little hot sauce pulls the flavors together. At school lunch we use Tabasco, but doubanjiang or chili oil work just as well.
• On a tired day, this plus a bowl of miso soup is all you need, and it still makes a well-balanced meal.
Freezing Instructions
Layer the rice and then the topping in a microwave-safe container, cover and freeze. The natto loses some of its stickiness once frozen, but it still tastes good. To eat, reheat in the microwave right in the container.
Keeps for: about 2 weeks (best eaten as soon as possible).
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 172.5 kcal | 345 kcal | 172.5 kcal |
| Protein | 12 g | 24 g | 12 g |
| Fat | 10.8 g | 21.6 g | 10.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.2 g | 14.4 g | 7.2 g |
| Fiber | 1.8 g | 3.6 g | 1.8 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Calcium | 25.5 mg | 51 mg | 25.5 mg |
| Iron | 1.2 mg | 2.4 mg | 1.2 mg |
| Potassium | 316.5 mg | 633 mg | 316.5 mg |
| Phosphorus | 118.5 mg | 237 mg | 118.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | Phosphorus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 172.5 kcal | 12 g | 10.8 g | 7.2 g | 1.8 g | 0.6 g | 25.5 mg | 1.2 mg | 316.5 mg | 118.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 345 kcal | 24 g | 21.6 g | 14.4 g | 3.6 g | 1.2 g | 51 mg | 2.4 mg | 633 mg | 237 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
