Ponzu sauce (photo © Fotoos Van Robin | Flickriver).
[1] .

[2] Shrimp tempura with ponzu sauce (photo © Mackenzie Ltd).

[3] Yakami Orchard makes very high quality “original” (clear) ponzu. Nicely packaged, it makes a fine gift for a good cook. You can find it online (photo © Yakami Orchard).

[4] We enjoy dumplings with ponzu sauce instead of soy sauce. It’s more flavorful (photo © Asset Restaurant | NYC).

Following our recent endorsement of rice vinegar as an everyday condiment is this one for ponzu sauce.

Ponzu is a thin, dark brown citrus-based sauce commonly used in Japanese cuisine. Often mixed with soy sauce (shoyu), it is a popular all-purpose condiment and dipping sauce.

If you’ve ordered tempura in a Japanese restaurant, it was likely served with a small dish of ponzu.

Ponzu sauce is traditionally made with rice vinegar, mirin (rice wine), katsuobushi (bonito tuna flakes) and konbu (seaweed). Some recipes use saké, a less sweet rice wine with a higher alcohol content.

The ingredients are simmered and strained, and then citrus is added, typically yuzu, a bitter orange, or sudachi, a mandarin. (You can use lemon if you’re making it at home.)

> The recipe follows, along with:

> Uses for ponzu in Japanese cuisine.

Ways to enjoy ponzu on American foods.

> The history of ponzu.

> The difference between ponzu and chirizu.
 
 
There is no National Ponzu Day—yet—but here are:

> The year’s 11 Japanese food holidays (plus 6 sushi holidays).

> The year’s 18 dip, dressing, and sauce holidays.
 
 
USES FOR PONZU SAUCE

Mark Bittman of The New York Times calls ponzu “the rough equivalent of vinaigrette.”

Ponzu is an attractive condiment with both Western cuisine and its native Eastern cuisine. We recently substituted it for malt vinegar with French fries, and instead of mignonette sauce with oysters on the half shell.

Here are more ways to enjoy ponzu sauce:

 
> Below, see how we use ponzu in everyday American cuisine.
 
 
RECIPE: HOMEMADE PONZU SAUCE

This recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman. It presumes you won’t have access to yuzu juice and uses commonly-available citrus. But in many cities, bottled yuzu juice (another of our favorite condiments) is readily available at specialty food stores and Asian markets.

Ingredients For 2-1/2 Cups

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE all ingredients in a bowl. Let sit for 2 hours or overnight to let flavors meld.

2. STRAIN before using. Refrigerated in an airtight container, ponzu will keep for at several days.

Chirizu is a spicier variation of ponzu, made with daikon, lemon juice, saké, scallions, soy sauce and shichimi togarashi, a table spice made of seven ingredients, including red pepper (togarishi) and sansho pepper pods (which provide heat).

It can be served with stronger-flavored sashimi that hold up to the heat (mackerel instead of fluke, for example); as well as with fried fish.

Here’s a recipe if you’d like to make your own.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF PONZU SAUCE

While we know ponzu as a delicious staple Japanese condiment, its development is an example of 17th-century global fusion. What’s more, this idea for this savory condiment began as a European alcoholic fruit punch.

The name “ponzu” actually derives from the Dutch word “pons,” which referred to a citrus-based punch drink. Dutch traders brought this beverage with them to Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868), when the Netherlands was one of the few Western countries allowed to trade with Japan through the port of Nagasaki.

The Japanese adopted the name, but over time, they dropped the alcohol and focused on the tart, acidic base. By adding the Japanese word for vinegar (zu), “pons” became ponzu, using the juice from native citrus fruits like yuzu, sudachi, or kabosu instead of the Western citrus.

First, the citrus juice as mixed with vinegar—a preservation method that kept the juice fresh for longer. Early ponzu was a light yellowish (from the citrus juice) product used to preserve other foods and in marinades.

The shift toward the modern condiment began in the Kansai region, around Kyoto and Osaka. Chefs and home cooks began to combine the tart citrus mixture with soy sauce and dashi at the table, to create a more complex dipping sauce. It was especially popular with mizutaki (chicken hot pot). For a long time, this was a fresh preparation made right before the meal.

As Japan modernized in the Meiji Period (1868–1912), ponzu began to appear a dressing for tataki (seared meat or fish). During this era, the addition of soy sauce became the standard preparation at restaurants, and it was called ponzu shoyu to distinguish it from the clear citrus-vinegar juice.

It evolved into a dipping sauce and dressing:

The dark, savory version we use today is technically ponzu shoyu, created when chefs began mixing the acidic juice base with other ingredients: shoyu (soy sauce), mirin (sweet rice wine), katsuobushi (bonito flakes), and kombu (kelp).

Bright, tangy, and umami-rich, ponzu became a staple of Japanese cuisine, particularly popular as:

 
For centuries, ponzu was largely homemade or made at high-end restaurants. But that changed in the 1960s.
 
 
Modern Ponzu

In 1964, Mizkan, a major vinegar producer, noticed that while people in the Kansai region loved mixing citrus and soy for their hot pots, people in Tokyo (the Kanto region) hardly knew it existed.

Mizkan decided to do the mixing for the consumer and launched bottled Ajipon (aji-tsuke ponzu, seasoned ponzu). Other Japanese companies began to bottle and mass-market it as well.

Ponzu became the go-to condiment for shabu-shabu and nabemono (hot pot dishes), and the more people who discover it, the more pleasure it will provide.
 
 
Ponzu With American Dishes

Ponzu’s bright, tangy profile works beautifully with many Western dishes! The key is thinking of ponzu anywhere you’d want acidity, umami, and a bit of complexity—basically where you might use lemon juice, vinaigrette, or even hot sauce! (And you can certainly add chili flakes or a splash of hot sauce to ponzu).

Here are just some of them:

[5] Ponzu shoyu combines citrus with soy sauce. The Japanese citrus are, from the left, daidai, kambosu, yuzu, and sudachi (photo © Chaganzu | Amazon).
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

For Father’s Day, Prohibition Bakery in New York City, which specializes in baking with booze, has created a special cupcake, featuring new Hornitos Black Barrel tequila (more about it below).

Called the La Bamba cupcake, it features all the mixings of a perfect cocktail but takes the form of a high-end mini-cupcake. Inspired by one of Hornitos signature cocktails, the La Bamba has a full taste that highlight’s Hornitos Black Barrel and is topped with icing and a pinch of salt. Look closely and you’ll find all the ingredients of a conventional cocktail.

RECIPE: TEQUILA CUPCAKES

Ingredients For 48 Mini Cup Cakes

For The Cake

For The Garnish

 
Preparation

For The Cake

1. PREHEAT oven to 325°F.

2. BEAT eggs and sour cream in an electric mixer.

3. COMBINE flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in another bowl.

4. COMBINE ginger beer and butter in a small saucepan and heat until butter melts.

5. SLOWLY POUR ginger beer/butter mixture while the mixer is running. Slowly add the dry goods to wet and beat until incorporated. Add minced ginger.

6. FILL lined cupcake tins 2/3 with batter. Bake for 10 minutes and let cool on a cooling rack.

For The Frosting

1. BEAT butter with paddle attachment of an electric mixer until fluffy.

2. TURN dial to low speed and add the confectioner’s sugar.

3. SLOWLY STREAM in the tequila and lime juice, and beat until smooth.

For The Garnish

1. COMBINE salt and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Toss until fully mixed.

2. FROST cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with cayenne salt.

ABOUT HORNITOS BLACK BARREL TEQUILA

Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila is a limited release that provides a very different tequila experience. The nose is distinctly whiskey-like, with a complex layering on the palate of wood, fruit and spice.

The goal was to create a super smooth, 100% agave tequila, uniquely triple-aged to deliver complex whiskey notes. Tequila traditionalists may question the approach, but those seeking the new and different will likely be delighted.

First, Black Barrel is aged in American oak barrels for 12 months (typically they are used Bourbon barrels), like a traditional añejo tequila (see the different types of tequila).

Adding to this complex flavor, the Black Barrel is then moved to deeply charred American oak barrels for four months. This aging adds caramel flavors and the richness, golden amber color and smoky notes traditionally found in whiskey.

For the last leg of the triple aged experience, the tequila is aged in specially-toasted American oak barrels for two months. This imparts a creamier, vanilla character that adds depth and complexity, and rounds out the smoothness of the body.

Yes, you can drink shots of Black Barrel while enjoying the cupcakes.
  

To manage expectations, we removed the “soufflé.” What remains is a festive and delicious special-occasion breakfast or brunch. Consider it for Father’s Day.

The best part is that nearly all of the preparation can be done the day before. The only thing left to do in the morning is to put the pan in the oven and make the coffee.

Prep time is 15 minutes, cook time is 40 minutes. Driscoll’s uses blackberries; but you can use any berry or other fruit, such as banana.

RECIPE: BLACKBERRY GRAND MARNIER FRENCH TOAST

Ingredients For 6 to 8 Servings

For The French Toast

For The Blackberry Sauce

 
Preparation

1. SLICE bread into 1-inch slices and arrange in a buttered 9 x 13-inch baking dish, overlapping the slices in 2 rows.

2. WHISK eggs, milk, heavy cream, Grand Marnier, sugar, orange zest, vanilla, nutmeg and salt until well blended. Pour mixture over bread slices soaking them evenly with the egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning…

3. TAKE the baking dish out of the refrigerator and preheat oven to 350°F. Place the pan in the middle of the oven and bake until golden and lightly puffed, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile…

4. MAKE the blackberry sauce. Place 2 cups berries, sugar and lemon juice in a nonreactive pan over medium heat. Heat until the sugar dissolves and the berries give up some of their juice. Puree and press through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Return sauce to the pan and add remaining berries. Keep warm until serving.

5. SERVE: Put a square of the French toast on a plate, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and top with remaining blackberries and sauce.

“You can do so much better by turning to your own kitchen rather the drive through for doughnut satisfaction” says cookbook author Hannah Kaminsky.

“A fear of frying puts many cooks off, but with a simple recipe and a healthy dose of caution, you’ll be rolling in hot, crispy doughnuts, fresher and tastier than anything you can buy. Cake-based doughnut holes fit the criteria beautifully: There’s no yeast that needs to awaken or dough to rise, no fussy shaping or cutting to speak of. You can just mix and fry at a moment’s notice.”

Hannah also enjoys the freedom to flavor your homemade treats in special ways. She hid mini marshmallows in the center of these chocolate doughnut holes, inspired by mugs of hot cocoa topped with a crown of mini mallows melting on top.

“The crisp, sugar-coated exterior gives way to the most moist chocolate cake you could hope to taste, the marshmallow in the center adding equal parts indulgence and nostalgia,” says Hannah.

RECIPE: HOT CHOCOLATE DOUGHNUT HOLES

Ingredients For 20-30 Doughnut Holes

1. PLACE the marshmallows in a single layer on a plate or small sheet pan and stash them in the freezer. They must be frozen solidly before going into the hot oil or they’ll melt away completely! Allow to freeze at least 30 minutes before using your icy mallows.

2. MIX the batter. The batter comes together very quickly, so begin by pouring the oil into a medium pot with high sides and set over medium heat on the stove.

3. WHISK together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Separately mix the milk, vinegar and olive oil; then blend the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir just until the batter comes together with no remaining pockets of dry goods. The mixture should be somewhat on the wet side and definitely sticky, but manageable.

4. SCOOP out heaping tablespoons of the batter and stuff a single frozen marshmallow into the center of each. Use lightly moistened hands to shape the dough around the mallow, rounding the raw doughnut out into a rough ball and making sure that the marshmallow is fully sealed inside. Handle them gently, since the dough is very soft.

5. HEAT the oil to 360°-370°F, then carefully lower 3-5 doughnut holes at a time into the pot. Cook for 4-5 minutes, turning the doughnuts as needed to ensure even frying all over. The best way to tell if they’re done is to watch and listen to the oil. At first it will fizzle up madly and seem to almost hiss; but by the time the donuts are finished, the surface of the oil should be much calmer, and you will hear more of a pinging sound.

6. USE a spider strainer (a.k.a. Asian strainer or wok strainer) or a slotted spoon to lift the doughnut holes from the oil and drain them on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts. Let them cool for at least 15 minutes before rolling in the additional granulated sugar, and serve as soon as possible.

Reminds Hannah: “Donuts don’t get better with age, and I wouldn’t recommend keeping them beyond a day. Luckily, with doughnut holes this good, I don’t think you’ll have a problem with leftovers!”
  

The simplest addition of a slice of cucumber and an herb sprig turns a nondescript glass of water into a special drink. You can layer on flavors as you like: a slice of lemon, lime, or apple, for example.
 
 
HOW TO MAKE CUCUMBER WATER

1. ADD half a cucumber, cut into 1/8″ slices, to a two-quart pitcher. If it’s a waxed cucumber, use a carrot peeler to remove most of the waxy peel before slicing, but leave some decorative “stripes” by peeling the cucumber vertically, leaving long strips of peel at 1″ intervals.

Variation: Look closely at the photo and you’ll note that both slices and strips of cucumber were used. Although it’s easier to eat the slices, the combination of slices and strips adds visual interest.

3. FILL the pitcher with water. Refrigerate for 4 hours or more to chill and let the flavors infuse. When you’ve drunk up all the water, you can refill the pitcher and re-infuse the same cucumber and lemons, although you’ll get a lighter infusion.

Check out the cucumber cocktail recipes below.

National Cucumber Day is June 14th. National Cocktail Day is March 24th.

CUCUMBER VODKA

Summer also reminds us that it’s time to break out the cucumber vodka. It’s a trending (and welcome) flavor, produced by organic distillers such as Crop Harvest, Prairie, Rain, and Square One, as well as conventional brands such as Effen, Pearl, and Skinnygirl.

(Note to gin lovers: Gordon’s makes Crisp Cucumber Gin, but you may have to get someone to bring it back from England. We haven’t been able to find it in the U.S.)

To make flavored vodka, natural flavor essence is added to the distilled vodka (which can be made from a variety of grains, including corn, rye, and winter wheat). The fresh aroma of cucumber is a result of the same process used to capture the aromatics of flowers and other plants in natural fragrances.

We love what the essence of crisp, cool cucumber does to vodka. Cucumber vodka gives a contemporary spin to familiar cocktails like the Bloody Mary, Gimlet, Tom Collins, and Vodka Tonic. We drink Square One cucumber vodka straight up (and our food bucket list includes arranging a taste test with the other brands).
 
 
CUCUMBER VODKA COCKTAIL RECIPES

These recipes are courtesy Prairie Organic Spirits.

RECIPE #1: GARDEN COCKTAIL

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. LIGHTLY salt the rim of the glass.

2. COMBINE all ingredients in a shaker. Shake with ice and pour into a rock glass over ice. Garnish with a slice of cucumber.
 
 

[3] A cucumber spear or slice is a delicious garnish for a Bloody Mary, a Martini, or even a glass of water (photo © Sun Basket).

RECIPE #2: CUCUMBER MARY

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE vodka, tomato juice, lemon, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce in a shaker.

2. SHAKE with ice and pour the mixture (including ice) into a highball glass. Add cucumber to the rim of the glass and serve.
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.