Plus, we tried crafting even crazier natto x mochi ice cream variations featuring kimchi, squid, and more. 

Our Japanese-language reporter Asami Oshima couldn’t believe her eyes while scrolling through social media. Yet there it was, spotlighted on food company Mizkan‘s official Twitter account: an image suggesting that customers should try eating their natto (fermented soybeans) on top of Lotte’s Yukimi Daifuku (mochi filled with an ice cream center).

▼ The caption includes the plea, “Please don’t be mad, Lotte.”

We can paraphrase Asami’s immediate reaction as something along the lines of: “Are they insane?!”

Now, we’ve done some weird stuff with natto before, but even so, everyone knows that natto goes on top of rice. However, perhaps it was due to the level of insanity at the suggestion of such a manner of consumption that Asami became oddly mesmerized by the photo. Before she knew it, she found herself searching for Lotte’s official channel to see if there was any response. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long to find a post–but surprisingly, the company agreed that the combination was delicious.

▼ Lotte tried out the pairing for itself and also recommended adding some grated daikon and a dash of soy sauce for an extra salty sweet experience.

Well, that endorsement sealed the deal for Asami. She was ridiculously curious to try this unconventional, ghastly-sounding concoction for  herself, so she popped out to the supermarket to grab a pack of Mizkan’s Toromame Natto and Lotte’s Yukimi Daifuku.

▼ The necessary ingredients for this culinary (mis)adventure

She prepared the natto the usual way by pouring in the sauce packet and mixing well.

Then, she grabbed a clump of the pungent beans and laid them on top of a round ball of mochi ice cream.

She slowly raised the treat to her mouth and took a bite.

Hmmm…it was borderline something. Whether that something was delicious or disgusting, it was hard to put into words, and a bemused smile formed on her lips.

Soon after the distinctive stickiness of the natto had touched her lips, the sweet flavor of the vanilla ice cream began to slowly seep in as well–but the two tastes didn’t blend together at all. It was…edible, but that’s about all she could say.

This experiment got Asami wondering what other kinds of toppings besides natto might harmonize with the Yukimi Daifuku. For some further experimenting, she whipped out a box of Mini Yukimi Daifuku, which contained nine bite-sized mochi ice cream treats.

She arranged six of them on a plate and got to work. There would be six different variations on the natto topping theme today, resulting in…

…the following works of gastronomic art!

As detailed below, clockwise from the upper left, Asami’s limited-edition Yukimi Daifuku menu consisted of:

● Natto x grated daikon with soy sauce
● Natto x okra, grated yam, and egg yolk
● Natto x minced squid with seasonings
● Avocado x tomato and basil (no natto)
● Natto x avocado and kimchi
● Natto x kimchi

Let’s now see what she thinks after testing them out one-by-one.

Natto x grated daikon with soy sauce

Asami started with the version recommended by Lotte. She was hoping that the fresh ingredients would cancel out her unease, especially with the vanilla ice cream hitting her taste buds after a little delay. Ultimately she decided that the combination was overall better than eating natto by itself.

Natto x kimchi

Next, she was excited to try this simple combination because she personally thinks that natto and kimchi go well together. It was a pleasant surprise to realize that the spiciness of the kimchi counteracted the sweetness of the ice cream in a good way. If she had to choose thumbs up or thumbs down, she’d give it a thumbs up.

Natto x avocado and kimchi

Since the last one turned out to be not that bad, she thought that basic combination could only be amplified by adding avocado to the mix. However, this is where her hopes were dashed because the kimchi drowned out anything that the avocado could add. Maybe it wasn’t a big enough chunk, but its flavor was completely negated.

Natto x okra, grated yam, and egg yolk

Mini Yukimi Daifuku aren’t that big, so it was tricky to get an egg yolk to stay on top of one. While the three main toppings usually pair excellently together on top of a bowl of rice, it turned out that wasn’t the case on top of the mochi ice cream. Sure, the concoction was just about as viscous as could be, but the overall taste left her wondering if she had just eaten a Japanese breakfast or a dessert.

Natto x minced squid with seasonings

She expected this combination to be a bit of a stretch from the start, and her prediction came true. The flavors inside of her mouth equated to great chaos. Consequently, she urges readers not to mix seafood and vanilla ice cream. Ever. Just don’t do it.

Avocado x tomato and basil (no natto)

For the very last creation, she had decided to experiment with a natto-less topping. She was really hoping that this one would pleasantly surprise her. After all, visually, it looked like an appealing combination of tomato and basil on a fresh ball of mozzarella. Shockingly, it turned out to be the worst combination by far. Apparently basil and vanilla ice cream are mortal enemies, and the aftertaste they left in her mouth was nothing short of disgusting.

Reflecting back on the results, the natto x kimchi Yukimi Daifuku combination was the only one that Asami could respectably call “good.” Even so, she’ll probably just stick with natto over rice and Yukimi Daifuku for dessert moving forward.

Still, Asami would like to express her sincere respect to the pioneering minds at Mizkan and Lotte. They’re truly doing some creative culinary work for the people. Who knows what combinations they’ll scheme up next? Cheesecake in curry? Oh wait, scratch that–we were the ones who invented that.

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