This Natto Miso Soup with Okra is easily one of the healthiest yet simplest soups you can make any time of the year! Despite the minimal ingredients, it is packed with good-for-your-gut and anti-inflammatory goodness. {Vegan-adaptable}
My mom used to recite a Japanese proverb, ‘味噌汁は不老長寿の薬’ (miso shiru wa furou chouju no kusuri), which literally means “Miso soup is medicine for eternal youth and longevity,” at the dinner table. It was probably her way of making sure we finished every drop of the miso soup she served with the meal.
The kotowaza (proverb) was a bold claim, but it really captures the power of miso soup and its importance in Japanese culture. If you wish to discover more, I have this recipe for Natto Miso Soup with Okra, one of the most nutritious soups for you to try!
Table of Contents
Natto Miso Soup’s Health Benefits
Natto miso soup, also known as natto-jiru (納豆汁), is a popular style of miso soup featuring chopped natto with one or more types of vegetables. If you’ve only tried natto on its own or with rice, adding natto to miso soup is another delicious way to incorporate fermented soybeans into your diet.
In Japan, foods with a slimy texture are known as neba neba (ネバネバ) and are considered nutritious and good for strengthening the body and recovering from fatigue, especially to help prevent summer fatigue. These slimy foods such as okra and natto are high in fiber, antioxidants, and minerals.
The slightly bitter tang of natto complements the creamy savoriness of miso soup, and its slimy texture tends to dissipate in the broth. In this recipe, I added okra to give the soup an extra boost of texture, color, and nutritional value—okra is rich in vitamins A and C, folate, as well as antioxidants and minerals like magnesium!
If you’re curious, read this study that shines a spotlight on the nutritional importance and health advantages of natto miso soup, especially its effect of aging!
Why You’ll Love This Miso Soup
- It’s extremely nourishing, restorative, and good for digestion.
- Light, soothing, and unexpectedly delicious. Some might find the texture of these unique foods a challenge, but they are indeed considered special by those who appreciate them.
- Super simple to make! You will need only 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to prepare this super healthy soup! “Easiest ever” is not an exaggeration at all.
Ingredients for This Recipe
- Dashi packets — This is the fastest and most convenient way to make dashi (Japanese soup stock). I use the Kayanoya brand, which you can get on Amazon or from Japanese grocery stores.
- Water
- Okra — The Japanese use this vegetable in many dishes, and we love its unique texture.
- Natto (Japanese Fermented Soybeans)
- Miso — Any type will do. See my brand recommendation on our Pantry Page. I used my favorite miso for this recipe.
Substitution Tips and Variations
- If you’re vegan/vegetarian, make Vegan Dashi to make this recipe.
- If okra is not your thing, you can use other ingredients such as shimeji mushrooms, wakame seaweed, or fresh leafy greens.
How to Make Natto Miso Soup with Okra
- Make the dashi (Japanese soup stock): Add water and dashi packet to a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, covered, for 2-3 minutes. Then, discard the dashi packet.
- Cook the ingredients: Add okra and natto to the simmering dashi. Let it cook for one minute. Turn off the heat.
- Add the miso and serve: Stir in the miso paste until dissolved. Taste and adjust. Serve the soup in individual soup bowls, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Make dashi using a dashi packet or prepare it from scratch. I always recommend avoiding dashi powder, especially when making miso soup, because the flavor is much weaker.
- Be careful when you slice the okras with a knife as they can get slimy.
- Do not let the soup boil after the natto and miso are added. Turn off the heat when it is hot enough and do not simmer for a long time, or else the nattokinase bacteria will perish.
- (Ground) toated sesame seeds add a nice aroma and texture to the soup, but it’s optional.
How to Store
I highly recommend consuming the miso soup immediately because it will lose its aroma and taste over time. Since this miso soup is so easy to make, it’s best to make it from scratch when you need it.
If you happen to have some leftovers, cool the soup to room temperature (no longer than 4 hours), store in an airtight container, and keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator or 2 weeks in the freezer. When ready to use, reheat in a pot over medium heat, but do not boil.
What to Serve with This Miso Soup
As it takes minutes to prepare, I enjoy making this natto miso soup to go with my leftovers lunch. It is also excellent as part of your dinner, especially in an ichiju sansai (one soup, three dishes) format.
- Rice – Steamed Rice, Brown Rice, Takikomi Gohan (Mixed Rice), Fried Rice
- Main – Butter Shoyu Chicken, Garlic Onion Chicken, Miso Butter Salmon, Salted Salmon
- Salad & Pickles – Soba Salad, Everyday Japanese Pickles, Spinach Salad with Sesame Dressing
Let’s Cook Miso Soup for Miso Day
This recipe is part of my Miso Soup Day (味噌の日) series, where I share a new miso soup on the 30th of every month to encourage readers like you to enjoy the soup as part of your diet.
Please check out my collection of miso soup recipes here, and I hope you will always come back to try out different versions of the soup.
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
Natto Miso Soup with Okra
Ingredients
- 1 dashi packet (find it on Amazon or at a Japanese market; you can substitute Awase Dashi or Vegan Dashi made from scratch)
- 2 cups water (for the dashi)
- 2 okra
- 1 pack natto (fermented soybean) (you can find it in the refrigerator or freezer section of a Japanese market)
- 2 Tbsp miso (plus more, to taste; any type will work; I used my favorite miso)
- ½ Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds (optional; you can grind them, if you like)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Make the Dashi
- To a medium saucepan, add 2 cups water and 1 dashi packet.
- Start cooking over medium heat and bring it to a boil. While waiting, you can prepare the other ingredients (go to the next step). Once boiling, shake the bag a few times to release more flavor into the soup. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 2–3 minutes. Then, discard the packet. Your dashi is now ready to use.
To Make the Miso Soup
- Meanwhile, prepare the ingredients. Cut off the stem ends from 2 okra. Then, cut the okra crosswise into thin slices.
- Empty 1 pack natto (fermented soybean) onto your cutting board. Run your knife through the natto to chop the soybeans into small pieces.
- To the simmering dashi, add the okra and natto to the saucepan.
- Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
- Turn off the heat. In a ladle, stir 2 Tbsp miso into some hot stock using cooking chopsticks to completely dissolve, then release it to the soup. Alternatively, you can use a fine-mesh miso strainer and/or a miso muddler to dissolve it faster. Next, taste the soup and add more miso if needed. If it‘s too salty, add water or dashi (if you have any) to dilute. To serve, pour the miso soup into individual bowls. Optionally, sprinkle (ground) sesame seeds for the aroma and texture.
To Store
- I highly recommend consuming the miso soup immediately because it will lose its aroma and flavor over time. If you happen to have some leftovers, cool the soup to room temperature (no longer than 4 hours), store in an airtight container, and keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator or 2 weeks in the freezer. When ready to use, reheat in a pot over medium heat, but do not boil.
What a great way to incorporate natto beans to make it more palatable. Thank you so much! Happy Autumn to you guys.
Hello there! Thank you so much for your kind feedback!🙂
We are glad to hear you enjoyed Nami’s recipe. Happy Cooking!
Thank you for this recipe. I am trying to incorporate more fermented foods into my diet. I have eaten natto before but wanted some different ways to use it, and this soup worked for me! I hope your readers will give it a try.
Hi, Deloris! Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and leaving such an encouraging comment! 🥰
We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the soup!
I love love love your miso soup collection and hope that you add more, thank you Nami! I recently ate in a restaurant miso soup that was simmered with just fish & fish carcass, it was so delicous!
Hello, Lisa. Aww.🥰 We are so happy to hear you enjoy Nami’s miso soup collection!
Yes! We will definitely include the fish miso soup (called Aka dashi) in the requested recipe list! 🫶🏻