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Japanese

Ponzu

Non-vegetarian

ポン酢 · ponzu

A thin, bright Japanese dipping sauce of soy sauce and citrus juice, rounded with mirin and steeped with kombu and bonito flakes for depth. Made a day ahead and strained.

Ponzu is a Japanese sauce, ready in about 24 hours 5 minutes and made with soy sauce and lemon juice. It serves 9 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
5 min
Cook
0 min
Rest
24 h
Total
24 h 5 min
Serves
9
Level
Beginner
Calories
16

Steeps overnight in the fridge.

Ingredients

9 servings of 30 ml

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Squeeze the citrus and measure the juice. Pour it into a clean jar with the soy sauce (opens in a new tab), rice vinegar (opens in a new tab) and mirin (opens in a new tab).

  2. Step 2

    Wipe the kombu (opens in a new tab) with a damp cloth (do not wash off the white bloom) and drop it into the jar with the bonito flakes (opens in a new tab). Push them under the liquid.

    • 1 min

  3. Step 3

    Cover and steep in the fridge for at least 12 hours, ideally 24.

    • Step 4

      Strain through a fine sieve, pressing lightly on the flakes, and return to the cleaned jar.

      Liquid being strained through a sieve
      How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Japan · Well documentedJapanese; yuzu, sudachi or kabosu juice is traditional. Lemon and lime stand in well outside Japan.More food from Japan
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Sauces · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
    Cooking method
    No-cook
    Taste
    citrusy, salty, umami, tangy
    Diet
    Pescatarian · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
    All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Make-ahead
    Cook more with
    Soy sauce · Lemon juice · Lime juice · Rice vinegar · Mirin · Kombu (dried kelp)

    Allergens

    • Contains: Fishfrom katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
    • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom soy sauce
    • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom soy sauce
    • Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    16 kcal per serving

    Estimated

    1 serving ≈ 31 g · recipe makes 9

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 40%
    • Carbohydrate 53%
    • Fat 7%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
    Energy16 kcal52 kcal
    Protein1.3 g4.2 g
    Carbohydrate1.7 g5.6 g
    Net carbohydrate1.6 g5.1 g
    Sugars0.3 g1 g
    Added sugars——
    Fibre0.2 g0.5 g
    Fat0.1 g0.4 g
    Saturated fat0 g0.1 g
    Trans fat0 g0 g
    Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
    Sodium844 mg2712 mg
    Salt equivalent2.1 g6.8 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    79 mg
    Calcium
    7 mg
    Iron
    0.3 mg
    Magnesium
    13 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    0 µg
    Vitamin C
    4 mg
    Vitamin D
    0 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    5 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): katsuobushi (bonito flakes).
    • Rice vinegar: Distilled vinegar (FDC 172237) used as a stand-in for unseasoned rice vinegar.
    • Mirin: Sake (FDC 167723) used as a stand-in; true mirin is sweeter, so sugar is underestimated.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • The flavour softens and rounds out after a week in the fridge.
    • Mix with a little grated daikon and chilli (momiji oroshi) for hotpot.

    Common mistakes

    • Using bottled lemon juice gives a flat, bitter edge — fresh citrus matters here.

    Serve with

    • Dip for shabu-shabu, gyoza or tataki.
    • Dressing for cold tofu, sashimi or a crisp cabbage salad.

    Food safety

    • Contains fish (bonito flakes) and soy. Keep refrigerated in a clean jar and strain out the solids after steeping.

    Storage

    • Refrigerate in a closed jar for up to 1 month.

    Variations

    • Kombu-only ponzu: Skip the bonito flakes and steep with kombu and a dried shiitake for a fish-free version.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Goes with

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 2

    Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

    Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

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