Ponzu. Which is it?

[ChefCAG]

I am having a burning debate in my kitchen over the Japanese marinade called Ponzu. I have tried to get information through the hoards of cookbooks I own only to come up short-handed. My “pain in the ass always ready for a debate” sous chefs claim ponzu is a combination of yuzu and soy. While I always thought it was a mixture of Sudachi and yuzu juices, or is yuzu and sudachi the same thing? While I have always seen Ponzu in stores with soy in it I always thought it was just the way it sells the best.

Anyway, if anyone knows I would love to prove know it alls wrong

[moosnsqrl]

I am having a burning debate in my kitchen over the Japanese marinade called Ponzu. I have tried to get information through the hoards of cookbooks I own only to come up short-handed. My “pain in the ass always ready for a debate” sous chefs claim ponzu is a combination of yuzu and soy. While I always thought it was a mixture of Sudachi and yuzu juices, or is yuzu and sudachi the same thing? While I have always seen Ponzu in stores with soy in it I always thought it was just the way it sells the best.

Anyway, if anyone knows I would love to prove know it alls wrong

←

PITA sous chefs, know-it-all customers...what's a chef to do? Yuzu is a citron-related fruit that is often used to make ponzu sauce. Sudachi is a fruit closely related to the yuzu; they make a kind of vinegar out of it, I believe. I have always thought soy was an integral ingredient in ponzu but my information is a recollection of a chef demo a little over a year ago so you might wait for someone more authoritative to weigh-in before you stake your career and reputation on it.

[annanstee]

Isn't it soysauce with either Yuzu, Sudachu, or other citrussy flavouring and other seasonings? I am pretty sure that it is normally soy based

[Genny]

This information is from "The Japanese Kitchen" by Hiroko Shimbo:

Ponzu (Rice Vinegar and Yuzu Dressing)

Ponzu is made with the juice of a kind of citron, yuzu. This fruit has its own unique refreshing citrus aroma and flavor that might best be described as a mixture of lemon,lime and grapefruit. When yuzu is unavailable, it may be best to replace it in this recipe with additional good quality komezu.

3 tb komezu (rice vinegar)

2 1/2 tb mirin (sweet cooking wine)

2 tb yuzu (citron juice)

5 tb shoyu (soy sauce)

6 tb dashi (fish stock)

Good luck, hope this helps!

Genny

[Hiroyuki]

is yuzu and sudachi the same thing?

←

No, it's not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponzu

[torakris]

The ponzu thread from the Japan forum

Ponzu can be made with a variety of citrus juice. The cheaper the product the more likely it will contain a mix of juices. The most popular one I have seen outside of Japan is Mitsukan's Aji-pon, the ingredients just list citrus juice. If it does not specify yuzu, hor kabosu (the more flavorful and more expensive citrus) they are probably not included.

From the ponzu thread:

There are lots of kinds of ponzu out there.

Here is Mitsukan's line-up:

http://www3.mizkan.co.jp/sapari/product/se...index.asp?id=05

for those who can't read it, here is the translation from the top row down

first row:

aji-pon (the most common one, ingredients list kankitsu juice, kankitsu just means citrus)

konbu ponzu (citrus juice and konbu dashi and soy sauce)

goma ponzu (ponzu with sesame paste and smashed seeds)

second row:

yuzu-pon (made with just yuzu, no other citrus)

pon-su (zu?) (this has no soy just the citrus juice and vinegar)

maru shibori yuzu (this is more of a "gourmet" yuzu ponzu)

third row:

sudachi ponzu (made with sudachi)

kabosu ponzu (made with kabosu)

aji-pon, black vinegar version (regular aji-pon but made with black vinegar)

[sanrensho]

Not to get too technical, but I would characterize ponzu as more of a sauce and not a marinade.

As Torakris said, I think the average Japanese would associate ponzu with the aji-pon from Mitsuka, which is probably the most widely available ponzu. However, that doesn't mean it's the only way to make ponzu.

I just consulted two native Japanese dictionaries and one specifies ponzu as being made from daidai (bitter oranges). The other specifies kankitsu.

[torakris]

Not to get too technical, but I would characterize ponzu as more of a sauce and not a marinade.

←

I was going to mention this as well, You will very rarely see it used as a marinade. In Japan it is most commonly used as a dipping sauce or dressing.

[ChefCAG]

Thanks everyone. Totally answered my question. I was right about soy being a second additive. And I didn’t really mean to call it a marinade either. Nor do I think it’s a sauce. More like a seasoning?

[sanrensho]

Thanks everyone. Totally answered my question. I was right about soy being a second additive. And I didn’t really mean to call it a marinade either. Nor do I think it’s a sauce. More like a seasoning?

←

In traditional Japanese cooking it's most often used as a dipping sauce, but also poured over some foods.

[Hiroyuki]

If you ever decide to make ponzu yourself, please keep this in mind:

The longer you keep it (in the fridge in the summertime), the mellower it gets. This site (sorry, Japanese only) says that the average number of days it is kept before use is 110.

[moosnsqrl]

And, once again, eGullet proves to be the most comprehensive FREE resource for food-related information. I feel a ponzu tasting coming on.

ChefCAG, curious what your plans are for it (apart from using your newly found knowledge to put your staff back in their proper place )? In the context of the demo where I first learned about it, it was used almost more like a salad dressing (although there was some shrimp in the salad, which seems more true to the typical use).