Also, try whipping up this Japanese salad dressing with carrot and ginger!
Make yuzu ponzu sauce
Yuzu is a fruit commonly found in Japan. It’s somewhere between a lemon and an orange and the flavor is excellent for ponzu sauce. Ponzu makes for a perfect dipping sauce for gyoza or tempura, you can try it as a marinade for ponzu ribs or other cuts of meat, you can pour it over a stir fry or noodle dish, or drizzle it over salad or other veggies. Talk about versatility! It is one of those “good things come to those who wait” type of recipes, in that you need to steep it at least overnight and up to 2-3 days. The good news is, however, that it’ll last in your fridge for a month and in the freezer for up to a year! It’s absolutely worth it because once you taste it, you’ll reach for it all the time!
Light soy sauce: This adds a rich, salty flavor to the sauce. Mirin: This is a type of rice wine that you can find in many grocery stores and online. If you’re familiar with sake, mirin is sort of like that (with less alcohol and more sugar). If you need to make a substitute, use dry sherry or sweet marsala wine. Fresh lime juice: The first of the citrus components, you’ll need ¼ cup of fresh lime juice. This is about 2 whole limes. Fresh lemon juice: Pick up one lemon and squeeze the juice from it to get the ¼ cup needed. Rice vinegar: Although you’ll only need 2 tablespoons, the rice vinegar will help preserve the sauce, and contribute to the overall smell and taste of it. Grapefruit zest: Pull out your microplane and zest about 2 teaspoons worth of grapefruit zest. Grapefruit is added to try and mimic the flavor of yuzu fruit. Yuzu, although a traditional Japanese fruit, is not included in this ponzu recipe since it’s not highly accessible in North America and not exactly budget-friendly. Dried bonito flakes: Also known as katsuobushi, these are super thin fish shavings that provide a big umami flavor. You’ll need ¼ cup of katsuobushi for this recipe. Dried kelp: Also known as kombu, and can be used like a spice or herb for flavoring. Dried kelp is rich in minerals and grows in the sea so tastes both salty and veggie-like. You can find this in many grocery stores, and will need 1 piece. Dried seaweed or nori will also work here.
The simplest ponzu sauce ever made: You can, in its simplest form, create a ponzu-like sauce using 50/50 citrus juice and soy sauce. Of course, it won’t have the same complexities of flavor, but it will still be good and cuts down on all the ingredients needed. Change up the citrus: You can make ponzu sauce using lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, grapefruit juice, yuzu juice, or a combination of the fruit juices. Spice it up: You can add some heat if you like. Sriracha or garlic chili paste can be added to the recipe to bring up the spice.
That said, it isn’t a widely available fruit in North America. And since it’s on the smaller side with plenty of seeds, you’ll need a bunch of yuzu to make a batch of ponzu. You can use the bottled yuzu juice, however, it’s also hard to come by. If you can find yuzu in a local Asian supermarket, it’s worth making ponzu sauce with this fruit or the juice from it. It’s quite a special taste. You will need approximately 24 yuzu fruit to make this ponzu sauce recipe, and it will replace the juice of the lemons and limes.
Marinade or coating: Ponzu sauce makes for a great marinade because of the bold flavor, plus it helps tenderize meat. Try using it as a marinade for ribs, or a coating for salmon or even tofu. You can toss ponzu sauce over your stir fry or noodle dish, too! Dipping sauce: Use ponzu sauce to dip your dumplings, tempura, sushi, or any fried food into. That said, avoid pouring it over the top of anything that might become soggy from the added liquid of the ponzu sauce. Vinaigrette: You can use ponzu sauce as a salad dressing or drizzle over cooked veggies.
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