I love ponzu sauce, the wonderful Japanese sauce that is, for want of a better description, a lovely vinaigrette-like sauce used for dipping, scenting, or saucing.  I had been told that you can’t really make a traditional sauce at home ‘cause you needed the juice of the Asian citrus yuzu to authenticate it.  Well, I found fresh yuzu and splurged (it was $8.99 a pound) so I could get a taste of the real thing.  I hunted around my myriad number of cookbooks to see if I could get a hint of how to make the real thing and then went to the internet.  Found too many variations and none that particularly pleased me so I devised my own.  Here is my version should you find fresh yuzu and feel like splurging – or maybe it is now being grown commercially in California and Florida and it will soon be ubiquitous, just like kiwi and we can all have fresh ponzu in our fridges!

1 cup fresh yuzu juice

1 cup soy sauce

¼ cup mirin

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate

1 strip dried kombu 

2 tablespoons dried bonito flakes

Combine the yuzu juice, soy sauce, mirin, vinegar, and concentrate in a nonreactive container.  When blended add the kombu and bonito flakes and stir.  Cover and set aside to marinate for at least 3 hours before using.

When ready to use, strain through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the solids.  If desired, add a couple of chopped scallions just before using.  Ponzu sauce will keep, covered and refrigerated, for 2 weeks.  It may be frozen.