Ingredients
Green version
- 6unripe green yuzu
- 80 ggreen chillies, stems removed
- 16 gfine sea salt, about 10 percent of the total
Red version
- 6ripe yellow yuzu
- 80 gred chillies
- 16 gfine sea salt
Equipment
- a fine grater or a mortar
- a small sterilised jar
- gloves, for handling chillies
Directions
- Wash and dry the fruit thoroughly. Grate the zest with a fine grater. Take only the coloured outer layer. Stop the moment you see white.
- Keep the juice for dressings or ponzu. Preparing the chillies takes a few minutes. Cut off the stems and split the chillies open.
- Leave some in for a hotter paste. Chop the chilli flesh roughly. Salt is what preserves the paste. Use ten percent of that combined weight in salt. Do not reduce it to make a milder condiment.
- Put the chillies and salt into a mortar. Pound them into a rough wet paste. Add the yuzu zest and keep pounding. Work until everything is evenly combined. The paste should be coarse rather than smooth.
- Pack the paste into a small sterilised jar. Press it down to remove air pockets. Seal it and keep it in the refrigerator.
- Leave it for at least a week before using it. Storing it properly keeps it for months. Keep it refrigerated at all times. Use a clean spoon every single time. It keeps for six months to a year.
- Stir a little into a hotpot dipping sauce. Whisk it into a dressing with rice vinegar and oil. Add a dab to miso soup or to noodles. Use no more than a quarter teaspoon at a time.
Technique
- Yuzu kosho remained a local Kyushu condiment for generations before restaurants outside the region took it up in the 1990s.
- Oita prefecture is generally credited as its home.
Substitutions
- Frozen yuzu peel sold in Japanese shops works well and is far easier to find than fresh fruit.
- A mixture of lime and grapefruit zest gives an approximation, though it lacks the particular yuzu aroma.
Variations
- The green version is sharper and more herbaceous.
- The red version is rounder and slightly sweeter.
- Some makers add a small amount of sudachi or kabosu peel alongside the yuzu.
History
A Kyushu farmhouse condiment from Oita’s mountains, it spread nationwide only in the 1990s when restaurants began serving it with hotpot.
Frequently asked questions
What is Yuzu Kosho?
Yuzu Kosho is a sauce & condiment from Japan: fiery paste of yuzu zest, chili and salt from Kyushu, dabbed on grills. A Kyushu farmhouse condiment from Oita’s mountains, it spread nationwide only in the 1990s when restaurants began serving it with hotpot.
How long does Yuzu Kosho take to make?
Yuzu Kosho takes 45 minutes plus 1 week resting of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes about 200 g. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Yuzu Kosho?
Yes, within limits. Frozen yuzu peel sold in Japanese shops works well and is far easier to find than fresh fruit. A mixture of lime and grapefruit zest gives an approximation, though it lacks the particular yuzu aroma.
What is the most important thing to get right in Yuzu Kosho?
Leave some in for a hotter paste. Chop the chilli flesh roughly. Salt is what preserves the paste. Use ten percent of that combined weight in salt. Do not reduce it to make a milder condiment.
