You might think slimy, gooey or slippery foods unappetising, but Japanese seek out ingredients with such texture, which they call neba-neba. In this dish of cold soba noodles, neba-neba comes from fermented soybeans (natto), grated mountain yam (yamaimo or nagaimo), okra and poached egg (which you can leave out, if you want a vegan version).
Natto is a healthy, protein-rich ingredient sold in small packs in the refrigerated section of supermarkets. To increase the sticky character, stir the natto with chopsticks until you can see long strands when you lift the soybeans.
In restaurants, neba-neba soba is often drizzled with mentsuyu, a strong dipping sauce, either home-made or purchased (you’ll find it in bottles near the dried noodles). Most of these contain katsuobushi, or shavings of dried and fermented skipjack tuna, but vegetarian versions are also available. Be sure to check the ingredients label.
If you can’t find fresh wasabi (which is expensive) use grated ginger instead, because wasabi paste and powder are too strong.
