Yuzu Ponzu is a smoky, umami-packed sauce that makes a delicious marinade or dipping sauce. It has the bright citrusy flavor of yuzu juice and the salty, smoky flavor of soy sauce and katsuobushi, or bonito flakes. This versatile sauce takes just 15 minutes to make and only requires a few simple steps.
Cook ingredients - Add kombu, katsuobushi, mirin, and rice vinegar in a small saucepan and cook on low until the mixture just simmers. Give it a stir, remove from heat, and allow the mixture to cool. The mixture will smell sweet and smoky, and the Kombu will soften.
1 strip of kombu, ¼ cup katsuobushi , 3 tablespoon mirin, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
Strain - Once the mixture cools after about 10 minutes, strain it to remove the katsuobushi and kombu and pour the mixture into a jar.
Shake - Add the soy sauce and yuzu juice to the jar. Secure the lid on the jar and give the mixture a good shake until combined.
¼ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup yuzu juice
Notes
Storage
Store homemade yuzu ponzu in the refrigerator in an air-tight container or lidded jar for up to 1 month. Before using it again, stir it softly until it reaches its original consistency. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Just be sure to store it in the correct container (not a lidded glass jar).
Top Tips
Use a baking spatula to scrape all of the sauce from the bowl and eliminate food waste.
To use homemade ponzu as a marinade for chicken, fishor beef, place the meat in a bag or mixing bowl and coat it with the sauce. Remove it from the bag and bake it in the oven.
For fresh sauce, do not leave the sauce out at room temperature for an extended period of time.