Combining a quintessential Japanese ponzu sauce with other Asian staples such as rice vinegar and sesame oil to create a sweet, tart and umami flavoured salad dressing.
Japanese ponzu sauce is an umami flavoured sauce made of mirin, rice vinegar, katsuobashi and kombu. Once it’s boiled and cooled, a citrus of some kind is usually added to the sauce such as yuzu or lemon. It is dark brown in colour and is of a thin, watery consistency.
Katsuobashi is dried, fermented and smoked tuna flakes and you probably know it is bonito flakes. After simmering, the sauce is drained to remove the flakes.
Kombu is a type of kelp. Traditional kombu is found on the seaside of Hokkaido.
Ponzu sauce is most commonly used in Japan as a dipping sauce and is usually combined with some soy sauce. This umami and salty sauce are perfect for making salad dressings as its flavour permeates the ingredients beautifully and works extremely well as a marinade for meat and fish.
Ponzu Dressing Ingredients
Ponzu sauce: This Japanese umami sauce is easy to find in any of your Asian grocers or the Asian section of your supermarket. It’s a great sauce to have in your pantry for general cooking too. Try the Kikkoman Ponzu Sauce or the Marukan Yuzu Ponzu Sauce.
Rice vinegar: Made from fermented rice, rice vinegar is slightly sweet and has a mild flavour. Again, your Asian aisle in your supermarket will have this. Our go to rice vinegar is the Marukan Genuine Brewed Rice Vinegar.
Olive oil: Use your favourite olive oil to make this dressing.
Sesame Oil: Always good to have in your pantry for Asian cooking. A couple of drops makes all the difference to the flavour profile. If you like a Japanese brand, Kadoya Sesame Oil is a staple.
Ponzu Dressing Method
This is one of those nice and easy ones. In a small mixing bowl, add the ponzu sauce, rice vinegar olive oil and sesame oil.
Whisk until well combined.
Best Salad for This Dressing
Gem Avocado and Watercress Salad
Tame the peppery tousled watercress with the creaminess of the avocado and the distinct umami flavours of the ponzu salad dressing. This Gem Avocado Salad is a crazy easy salad that can be whipped up in under 20 minutes!
More Salad Dressing Recipes
Salad dressings are incredibly easy to make in the comfort of your own home. This way you can control the ingredients to suit your palate and you can make the exact portion you need for that one meal. We have a huge collection of recipes and you may just like some of these:
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Salty Tamarind Dressing
- Tamari Lime Dressing
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- Creamy Garlic Dressing
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Ingredient Pairing Ideas
If you’d like to create your own salad and have an ingredient you’d like to hero, we have some great pairing suggestions to help you work out what flavours go well together.
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Ponzu Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp ponzu sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp sesame oil
Click on the toggle below for conversion to US Cooking Units.
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, add the ponzu sauce, rice vinegar olive oil and sesame oil.
- Whisk until well combined.
Equipment
Nutrition
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