MAKES: About 2 cups
TIME: 10 minutes, plus time to rest
The famous Japanese dipping sauce usually contains shavings of dried bonito, a relative of tuna. In this version seaweed replaces the fish more than adequately. If yuzu (a Japanese citrus) isn't available and it probably won't be use a combination of lemon and lime or check out the other citrus options.
One 3- to 5-inch piece kombu or about 1 tablespoon dulse
1 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup mirin or honey
1 cup fresh yuzu juice or 1/2 cup each freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice
In a small pot, combine the kombu, soy sauce, and mirin. Heat gently over medium-low heat do not boil then turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature.
Remove the kombu and stir in the yuzu juice. Cover and refrigerate indefinitely; serve at room temperature if at all possible.
Variations
Citrus Ponzu. Use any citrus juice grapefruit, pomelo, orange, blood orange instead or in addition to the yuzu (or lemon and lime) juice.
Lemongrass Ponzu. Another twist: Increase the mirin to 3/4 cup, reduce the soy sauce to 1/4 cup, and add 1/2 cup water (or Kombu Dashi,) and a stalk of lemongrass, peeled, trimmed, and crushed, to the pot with the kombu. Simmer for 15 minutes, strain, and serve warm or at room temperature. Omit the yuzu juice.
