Ponzu sauce gel is a Japanese concoction of light soy sauce, citrus juice, mirin (sweetened rice wine) some rice vinegar and katsuobushi. The latter are the shavings of fermented and dried skip tuna, a staple in the Japanese kitchen cabinet. And this sauce combines well with certain types of sushi.

Making this sauce into a gel, provides ample opportunities for plating. Thus the sauce will not run, but stay in its place.

The art of making ponzu sauce gel

Making the ponzu sauce is not difficult. Use good quality and fresh ingredients helps to make this a success. I freshly squeeze the citrus juices. I often use orange juice and lemon or lime juice. Use a light soy sauce. Depending your taste you can let the mixture shorter or longer in contact with the katsuobushi flakes. I prefer a few hours max. After that strain the sauce. To make the gel, use Japanese agar agar, let this swell in some cold water and then heat the mixture under stirring, until all agar is dissolved. Then mix this with the ponzu sauce. The sauce can be stored for 3-5 days in the fridge.

Special equipment

small sauce pan

dosing bottle

 

ponzu sauce gel ©️ Nel Brouwer-van den Bergh

Ponzu sauce gel

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Condiment
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 16

Ingredients
  

For the sauce

  • 0.5 cup light soysauce
  • 0.5 cup katsuobushi
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 1/3 cup lemon or lime juice
  • 1/6 cup orange juice

for the gel

  • 0.7 oz (2 g) agar agar
  • 1 cup water

Instructions
 

the sauce

  • Add all the ingredients together
  • Let the katsuobushi steep for several hours at room temperature
  • Then, separate the katsuobuki flakes from the liquids and reserve the liquid
  • store in the refrigerator for 1 week

the gel

  • Let the agar agar pieces swell in the cup cold water for about 20 minutes
  • When they are swollen, bring the mixture slowly to a simmer, while stirring now and then
  • Simmer until the agar agar pieces have been dissolved, with the pan uncovered
  • Then mix the remaining liquid, containing the agar (1/2 cup or so) with the ponzu sauce and let it slowly cool
  • It will gel up in the fridge. Store for several days.

Notes

Method: raw
Food allergy & intolerance information: none
Keyword fresh lemon or lime juice, fresh orange juice, Katsuobushi, light soysauce, ponzu sauce, ornage juice, lemon juice, soysauce, mirin, rice vinegar, rice vinegar

Remarks

We do not recommend to swell and simmer the agar directly in the ponzu sauce. The acidity may prevent the proper swelling of the agar.

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