I recently discovered Kikoman Ponzu sauce, and it it one of my favorites. The only one I ever had that was any better, was made at an obscure sushi restaurant in So Cal. I have been unable to find Kikoman Ponzu anywhere in my local area, so I have had to rely on making it myself.
For years I have been trying to get the right proportions.:frustrated1:
I think I may have finally gotten it right. The high acidity rate of the brands of rice vinegar and the high sodium content of the soy sauces I have been using were the culprit in the "not so satisfactory" batches.
I found some low acidity rice vinegar today (4.5%) and mixed it with some low sodium soy sauce (Marcus Pina, out of the Phillipines) and still found it to be a bit too strong. I mixed in some water until the taste was right, making sure to take note of the exact proportions as I did so.
Here are the proportions:
2 parts seasoned rice vinegar
1 part soy sauce
1 part lime juice ( I used Persian Limes, they seem to fall between a key lime and a "standard" lime as far as size and acidity, by taste. They also seemed to have the highest juice yield of any lime, in my experience)
2 parts water
That is the base and it tastes great the way it is. I added some finely minced pickled ginger to the mix and it definitely the best ponzu I have ever made or tasted.
Ponzu works exceptionally well on raw, seared or even fully cooked fish. I prepared some Florida Pompano last night in all three categories and all were awesome!
