Time seems to be flying by so quickly these days, and it’s hard to keep up with everyone here, let alone with the news back home. My cough has almost matured into a full cold but I’m hanging in there.
Yesterday, as I was cycling back from university, I went past the veggie stand where I normally pick up my 100 yen vegetables from. This time they had some citrus fruits but I wasn’t sure what they were since the fruits were much bigger than limes and lemons but I knew they weren’t grapefruit. Anyway, I bought a bag of 3 and decided to look up what kind of fruit I had bought a bit later.
Turns out I had bought YUZU! It’s a bit like grapefruit but it’s also like a lemon/lime at the same time. It’s hard to describe the flavour, but it’s really refreshing. I’ve never seen these in the supermarkets back in London – I’ve come across it in yogurts and desserts, but never in its original form. So I searched for yuzu recipes and came across Yuzu Hachimitsu, which is yuzu fruit mixed with honey, to make yuzu tea.
I’ve had this tea before in London and it tasted pretty good. Since I had time I decided to make it from scratch. I found some recipes but I just improvised because we don’t have any kitchen scales so I just guessed the quantities!
Chopped up yuzu fruit
The basic recipe consists of yuzu fruit and sugar. I also added some honey to the pan a bit later to give it more flavour. You just mix all these ingredients together and cook it until the white flesh turns clear, and that’s it!
Cooking the yuzu fruit with some sugar and honey
The end result tastes a bit like marmalade – a bit bitter yet sweet at the same time. I’m not sure if I made it correctly but it tastes pretty good to me!
Sterilising my glass jar for canning
And here is the end product! Yuzu Hachimitsu!
Yuzu hachimitsu!
It’s not quite like the shop bought stuff, but it was fun to make and it was a nice way to spend the afternoon.
I’m trying to build up a nice collection of photos of the autumn leaves changing colour to make a blog post, but here’s one that I took recently. Thanks for reading!
Olivia In Japan 
Probably good for cold/sore throat etc….we have a similar one but with lime in some syrupy cordial where you have it with hot water.
Does it taste like pomelo?, the inside white /pinkish pith looked like a pomelo. Keep well.
That sounds delicious! I love lime, it’s so refreshing. It’s a bit like pomelo, yes, but maybe more citrusy. The pith has no taste so I guess it is pretty similar to pomelo. Keep well too!! 🙂
You are so resourceful! And I would love to get hold of Yuzu in UK. My mom adds the rind of Yuzu to cooking to enhance flavour. Yuzu’s scent is so unique, some Japanese dishes can not be done without it. I think Yuzu works like lemon – add it to some fish dish to order to make it less fishy. Just a tiny piece of the rind goes a long way.
When my friend who was an avid amatuer chef wanted me to bring back some real Yuzu from Japan, I could not do so because UK custom wouldn’t allow any fresh fruit without their quarantine procedure. I love Yuzu! I must indulge myself with it when I am in Japan (^0^)
Aww, thank you! Being a student I’m trying very hard to make the most of what I have 😛 I’m really starting to like Yuzu as the taste is very refreshing! With the other Yuzu fruits, I’ve kept the rind in a tupperware box and I’ve started adding it to miso soup and things like that, and you’re right – it really does enhance the flavours of dishes!
Ah that’s a shame that your friend couldn’t bring some back for you! But I hope that it’ll still be in season when you come over 🙂 I heard it’s a winter fruit (not sure if that’s true or not) so if that is true, then I’m sure you can have Yuzu for breakfast, lunch and dinner!! Heheh 😀
Yes, adding Yuzu to soup is a good idea. My mom puts a few rinds of Yuzu to clear chicken broth to make them less gamey – she is a very fussy eater and she doesn’t like anything too meaty or gamey.
I am not 100% sure but Yuzu is harvested in the winter in mainly the southern part of Japan (like Shikoku & Kyushuu). I am really looking forward to tasting it in Japan this winter! 😻