Winter Pleasures: Making Ponzu and Yuzu Miso
In Osaka, it's hard to get a handle on the pace of the weather, with days alternating between cold and Indian summer. Even when watching national news, I often hear the phrase 'be careful of temperature differences.'
I don't like the cold, but I love winter.
I am Yasaburo Tanaka. I am an acupuncturist and massage therapist.
I love winter. Because there are so many delicious things.
I don't like the cold, but more than that.
When I tried writing an article about the cold, ideas kept bubbling up, and I ended up writing three consecutive pieces about it.
Some people may be strong against the cold, but it's better to be safe than sorry. I think these make for easy conversation topics, so I would be happy if you could make use of them.
I don't like the cold, but I love winter.
That's because there are so many delicious things.
Delicious winter things, for me, are winter vegetables.
My father grows vegetables as a hobby after retirement. There is a field of about 10 ares at the house where my grandmother lived, and my father moved back into the house after she passed away.
I grew up on the vegetables my grandmother grew. Pumpkins and sweet potatoes from my grandmother were my baby food, and they say I ate them so fast they couldn't keep up with boiling and mashing them.
Because of that, I love vegetables, but there is an important job to do to eat winter vegetables deliciously.
I use the yuzu harvested this season to make 'yuzu ponzu' and 'yuzu miso'.
Making winter even more delicious with yuzu work.
The reason I started making them in the first place is...
As for uses for yuzu, the standard is to squeeze it into ponzu for hot pot or float the peel in clear soup.
However, you can't finish off more than 30 yuzu that way.
Even a yuzu bath for the winter solstice is just for the scent. It's so delicious and smells so good, but I didn't know how to use it.
Yet my father just keeps growing them (laughs) and unilaterally makes me take them home.
What a waste.
MOTTAINAI!
I asked Google-sensei. What do you recommend for consuming large amounts of yuzu?
"Ponzu"
!!!
It never even crossed my mind...
Even though I love ponzu.
I was bound by the fixed idea that ponzu is something you buy.
When I was a rookie massage therapist, I remembered the deliciousness of the homemade ponzu I received from a patient who was a former chef.
Alright, I'm going to make ponzu!!!
The steps for making ponzu are super simple.
I searched for a recipe to try making ponzu, and I was shocked.
'It's incredibly simple...'
I make ponzu every year using the ponzu recipe from [Shirogohan.com].
Ponzu ingredients (for yuzu ponzu here) (easy-to-make quantity)
Yellow yuzu: about 4 (need 100ml of juice)
Dark soy sauce: 150ml
Kombu: 5g
Katsuobushi (bonito flakes): 5g
The ingredients are just these.
And there are only two steps.
1. If using yuzu, cut them in half, strain the juice through a sieve to keep the seeds out, and squeeze the juice. After squeezing once, it is a good idea to press a spoon or similar tool against the pulp inside to squeeze out every last drop of juice.
This time, I squeezed 4 yuzu and got 75ml of juice. The amount of juice varies depending on the size and the time of year even for the same yuzu, so if it is less than 100ml, add vinegar or store-bought juice here to bring it up to 100ml.
2. The rest of the process is simple. Combine the soy sauce and juice in a clean storage container like a jar, and submerge the kombu and bonito flakes in it. Then, let it rest in the refrigerator.
The resting time needs to be at least 1 to 2 days. If possible, it will taste better if you let it rest for about 1 to 2 weeks.
When using it, remove the kombu, and strain the bonito flakes, squeezing them well before use. If you store the strained mixture in a clean jar, it will stay delicious for half a year.
Just squeeze the yuzu, measure the amounts, combine them, and let it rest.
It is incredibly easy.
And it is incredibly delicious.
It is incredibly delicious.
It is shockingly delicious.
If you are interested, please give it a try.
Once you get used to ponzu, try yuzu miso too
Since my homemade ponzu turned out so delicious, I got carried away last year and tried making yuzu miso as well.
It is delicious when served on top of simmered daikon radish or steamed taro.
The recipe for this is also simple.
I used the recipe from [Minna no Kyou no Ryouri].
Yuzu Miso - Instructor: Chizuru Ohara
Yuzu peel from 1 fruit
White miso: 150g
Sugar: 2 tablespoons
Mirin: 3 tablespoons
There are no special ingredients for this either.
There are only three steps.
Instructions
1. Grate the yuzu peel. Squeeze the yuzu juice.
2. Combine all ingredients except the yuzu, place over medium heat, and stir until it becomes glossy.
3. Turn off the heat, add the yuzu peel and juice, and mix well.
Grate the peel, squeeze the juice. Just combine the white miso, sugar, and mirin, heat them to blend, and then add the juice and peel.
I wanted a bit more yuzu flavor, so I added a little extra yuzu and sugar. Being able to adjust it to your own taste is the real pleasure of homemade cooking. I have also made it with koji miso. It turned out delicious.
Ponzu requires resting time, but yuzu miso can be eaten immediately. I enjoyed it right away with simmered daikon radish and steamed taro.
It was also delicious combined with boiled mizuna greens.
What I learned from making it
I visit homes and facilities to provide acupuncture and massage treatments. Since there are many houses in the suburbs, some people grow their own yuzu.
However, I had never heard anyone say they make ponzu with the yuzu they harvest.
Now, I recommend it to everyone I visit.
It is truly delicious and not much trouble at all. I freeze the squeezed yuzu in a pouch bag to use for yuzu baths.
I am grateful to my father in the countryside and my grandmother who left me the field.
And above all, meals with my wife have become more enjoyable.
I reduced my work hours this October. That said, it is still about the same as a normal full-time job. Naturally, my salary decreased as well.
But every day's meal is truly happy.
It is precious, precious time with my wife.
This is something money cannot replace.
Ware tada taru wo shiru (I only know that I have enough)
I know that I have enough.
It's a phrase I love very much, but it's not just about that.
What do I have right now?
Am I properly cherishing the important things I already possess?
Having delicious food is something to be very grateful for, but it's only because I have a wife to enjoy it with that it truly matters.
The ponzu is just about ready now.
Maybe I'll make some yudofu (boiled tofu) tomorrow.
And finally, for the yuzu.
From Kiyoshiro Imawano's 30th Anniversary Live 'RESPECT!'.
I wasn't born to make money / Yuzu + Yohito Teraoka