Japanese · Sauce · All year
Homemade Ponzu
4.6 · community
10m
Prep
2m
Cook
Easy
Level
20
Energy
Citrus-bright soy dipping sauce deepened with kombu and bonito — bottled ponzu's fresher, livelier original. Improves for a week in the fridge.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
8
Before you start
Mise en place
Yield: About 250 ml
Equipment
Small saucepan
Whisk
Prep checklist
Lemon — juice (or yuzu if you can find it)
Lime — juice
Kombu — 5 cm square
2 steps
Method
1
Warm the mirin 60 seconds to soften its alcohol. Combine everything in a jar.
1 min — timer available in cooking mode
2
Refrigerate at least 24 hours — the kombu and bonito steep umami into the citrus-soy. Strain and it's ready; a week in, it's better.
60 min — timer available in cooking mode
Why this works
This is cold-brewing dashi inside a sauce. Patience is the only technique.
From the pass
Chef's notes
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Airtight jar in the fridge, 3–5 days. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of starch-thickened sauces to stop a skin forming.
Freezing
Most sauces freeze 2–3 months; freeze in ice-cube trays for single portions. Emulsified butter/egg sauces don't freeze — they break on thawing.
Reheating
Reheat gently over low heat, whisking; butter- and egg-based sauces split when boiled. Loosen with a spoonful of warm water or stock.
Make ahead
Most sauces keep 3–5 days refrigerated and freeze in ice-cube trays for instant single portions. Emulsified butter sauces are best made within the hour.
Wine pairing
Follows the dish it dresses.
Beer pairing
Follows the dish it dresses.
On the plate
Serve it with
Sides
Dipping sauce for dumplings and shabu-shabu
Over seared tuna or cold tofu
A vinaigrette base that outclasses most vinaigrettes
Garnish
A final swirl of butter or oil
Fresh herbs
Taste map
Flavour profile
Sweet
1
Salty
3
Sour
2
Bitter
0
Umami
4
Heat
0
Per serving
Nutrition
20
kcal
1g
protein
3g
carbs
0g
fat
3g
fiber
520mg
sodium
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Your notes
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