PROJECT Yuzu Miso

Dec 17, 2021 | Kitchen PROJECTS, Winter

季節のゆず味噌・Kisetsu no Yuzu Miso
Seasonal Citrusy Miso Sauce

 

The Japanese delight in bringing elements — often fresh produce — of each season to table. Yuzu citrus fruits ripen from green to golden yellow as autumn turns to winter. As yuzu ripen, the peels become especially fragrant and the tart juice mellows a bit. One way of capturing the essence of December and bringing it to table is to infuse light/white miso with yuzu zest to make a sauce. This YUZU MISO sauce can be a dip for raw vegetables, be transformed into a salad dressing by adding a bit of olive oil and a drizzle of rice vinegar, or slathered on tōfu, konnyaku and/or vegetables that are then briefly broiled, dengaku style.

This PROJECT YUZU MISO is about making your own citrusy-flavored miso sauce and using it in creative ways. If you can source real yuzu you are in for a treat. If you can’t try a mixture of orange, lemon and grapefruit to approximate the sweet, slightly bitter, tart flavors of yuzu. Be sure your fruit is organically grown; you do not want to consume the zest of fruit that has been sprayed with chemicals.

DOWNLOAD a recipe for ゆず味噌YUZU MISO

 

After zesting fresh yuzu, the remaining fruit can be used to perfume your bath. In fact, the Japanese do just that at the start of winter, on TŌJI which, most years, coincides with December 22. The custom is called YUZU YU ゆず湯. Find out more about this at my Kitchen Culture blog.

PROJECT Tsutsumu

PROJECT Tsutsumu

Wrapped foods are varied. Sometimes parchment or foil is used to enclose foods before they are cooked. Other times the wrappers are edible making pop-in-your-mouth savory packets. Below, two examples for you to try in your kitchen. Enjoy!包み蒸し Archaeological evidence...

Escape the Lingering Heat

Escape the Lingering Heat

The ancient, lunar-based koyomi almanac marks the start of autumn with risshū 立秋. When hot weather continues beyond that time, the phenomenon is referred to as zansho 残暑, literally "lingering heat." On the Gregorian calendar, this year (2025) risshū arrived on August...

PROJECT Crunchy, Spicy Cucumbers

PROJECT Crunchy, Spicy Cucumbers

The catergory of foods known as tsukémono runs the gamut from sokuseki ("impatient") and asazuké (lightly pickled) to furuzuké (literally "old" or overly pickled) foods that are intensely-flavored and/or deeply fermented. There are dozens of kinds of cucumber...

PROJECT: Ika Yaki

PROJECT: Ika Yaki

Gingery griddle-seared squid, IKA YAKI イカ焼き is a favorite summer festival food sold thoughout Japan at yatai food stalls. Visit the Summer Festival Food: YATAI post for more information about summer festivals and the food sold at yatai stalls. This Kitchen PROJECT is...

Recent Posts & Projects