How to keep & use Yuzu-citrus
Yuzu-citrus is often used to add a subtle touch to Japanese cuisine.
We use small amounts of it, so I’d like to share how to keep it and utilize to your dishes.
◆Peel and juice you get from one yuzu-citrus
As the picture below, you can get about 15 ml juice and about 10 g peels from one yuzu-citrus, the smallest type.
◆Peeled yuzu
Yuzu-citrus peel has a yellow part and a white part. A white part has bitter-tasting, so you should peel and use just the yellow part, like the picture above.
Peel and cut them into 2～3 cm long, put them in the plastic bag and freeze it. You can use it directly or cut it, like a thin needle, to flavor or decorate your drinks and foods.
◆Yuzu cups
Cutting yuzu in half crosswise, you can make a small yuzu cups. After removing the meat, put them in the plastic bag and freeze it. It’s nice to put some pickled dishes into this natural container.
◆Yuzu syrup
To keep yuzu juice for a long time, I recommend this yuzu syrup.
You just need same amout of sugar and water. If you have 15 ml yuzu juice, 10 g sugar and 15 ml water is used.
１．Put sugar and water in a microwave-safe bowl, microwave at 600 watts for 20 sec. (Please keep your eye to it, since it boil and flows sometime when heating too much.)
２．Stir till the sugar melts.
３．Once it has cooled down, mix the syrup and yuzu juice together.
The syrup on the left used a white sugar, and on the other used a natural beet sugar I always use.
You may feel the sense of fresh yuzu citrus more from the white sugar syrup, so it’s nice to use for drinks, like yuzu soda.
The beet sugar syrup is more like full-bodied. I put some grated ginger into it, and use to make a ginger yuzu tea or making dressing from it.
