I love yuzu. It is a Japanese citrus that is used for cooking and in beverages. It is more sour than a lemon, and is not eaten plain. I love this citrus so much that I actually planted two of them in my yard in the US. We moved here before we were ever able to harvest any fruit.
When we bought the sapling from a vendor at the U-District Farmer's Market in Seattle, I was wearing my son in an Ergo carrier. He repeatedly warned me about the thorns, but I was not worried. As soon as our son started toddling around our yard, we told him "ouchie" as we pointed to the bush that would eventually grow into a tree. Over the next couple of years, we never once had an incident of him tangling with the yuzu plant.
First, I made honey yuzu tea with the zest for all those cold-fighting winter months. Luckily I had bought a large jar of the Japanese honeybee honey that has extra medicinal properties in it. Simply zest as much yuzu as you can and add it to the honey. Then put the jar in the fridge for later use. One large spoonful in a mug of hot water (I often add it to hot ginger tea) will help any sore throat that comes your way.
Second, I tackled making my own ponzu. Ponzu is a citrus soy sauce used as a condiment for a wide variety of dishes. Sometimes bottled ponzu will contain vinegar, but the homemade variety doesn't (typically).
I have always loved tangy foods and ponzu fits right into this category. I love ponzu so much my husband used to accuse me of drinking it straight. Now, I won't deny this, but I also won't admit to it. I will, however, admit that I have often cooked certain meals because they call for ponzu.
My husband found a couple recipes online and combined them, then translated it for me.
Mirin: 50cc / .25 cups
Shoyu: 150cc / .66 cups
Yuzu Juice: 150cc / .66 cups
Konbu: small piece, approx. 1"x1"
Katsuo Bushi (Bonito Flakes): 20g / .5 oz
Boil the mirin until you see big bubbles (burn off alcohol).
Cool the mirin to room temperature.
Mix all other ingredient in the one container.
Refrigerate it for 2 days.
Strain to remove Konbu and Katsuo, pushing down on the solids to get as much liquid out at possible, and move to bottle or glass jar.
I feel so lucky to have a friend bless my family with this wonderful gift! I will think of her all winter as we use the honey yuzu and ponzu.
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