Kosho
Making delicious food at home with the depth and complexity of a high caliber restaurant can be a challenge. It requires judicious sourcing of ingredients and a supporting cast of pantry items.
One of these pantry items is Kosho. Typically known as Yuzu Kosho, it is a Japanese condiment containing yuzu zest and salt. Optional additional ingredients are hot chiles, garlic, ginger, and turmeric. This is one of those condiments where you could really get creative with its preparation (I’m thinking seeds and spices), but for my first attempt I kept it simple. Yuzu fruits are not imported to the US to theoretically prevent diseases being introduced from Asian groves, but they are grown in California and are highly coveted by professional chefs. Meaning, they are hard to find and expensive. In an attempt to recreate the unique flavor qualities of the yuzu, I used a combination of citrus peels. For months, every time I went to use a lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit, I would peel the fruit and collect them in a bag in the freezer. Once the bag was pretty full, I decided it was time to make the Kosho.
My Kosho is one year old as of this week and I have used it many ways. It improves with age, getting more complex, less sharp, and more delicious. My favorite uses are applying it to fish (especially scallops) before cooking; mixed with mayonnaise; and recently, on top of chilled borscht. A simple sauté of summer squash with Kosho sprinkled on at the end creates a bright, refreshing vegetable dish. Kosho is delicate and could get lost in a long cooking process such as a stew, but cooked lightly or used raw allows the Kosho to truly shine.
PROCEDURE
Weigh your dry ingredients. (citrus peels and whatever else you want to use)
Add 15% sea salt to the dry ingredients. (if you have 100 grams of citrus peels, use 15 grams of salt)
Use just enough liquid – preferably fresh citrus juice, but tea or water would work – to help create a paste.
Put all ingredients in a food processor or spice grinder and pulverize until very fine.
Pack into a jar and let sit at room temperature for at least a week (I did two weeks) and then put in the refrigerator for at least one week before using.
