June 16, 2020
Yuzu Salad
Pg. 176
Sean, Season 2
9 down…90 to go!
As I’m working my way through 99 incredible recipes in the MasterChef Junior Cookbook, I am trying to be smart about it. I aim to pick recipes (I usually complete 2-3 a week) that have similar ingredients, as to not waste any food. I am also trying to cook things that work well within each season. I learned the hard way when I attempted the Chinese 5 Spice Duck Breast, and realized how hard it was to find duck breast in May. Apparently, most grocery stores only stock it during the winter holidays, so I had to pay big bucks for it and could only find it frozen. That’s when I shifted my game plan. I’m cooking all the “summery” recipes, like burgers on the grill and refreshing salads like this one.
So raise of hands here–who has heard of yuzu? I’m assuming most of you are like me, and haven’t. This isn’t the first ingredient I’ve come across on this journey I’ve never heard of, but it is the first one that is in the title and had no photo.
To educate you, yuzu is a citrus fruit that is believed to have originated in central China as a hybrid of the mandarin orange. Yuzu juice is also not cheap or easy to find. I’ve learned by now to do my research on the ingredients weeks ahead of time. I either order them on Amazon, or make calls to obscure specialty grocery stores hunting them down. It’s fun. But, if you don’t have the time, energy, or money for that, I learned also that you can substitute lime juice and orange juice in a bind.
Overall, I was impressed with how flavorful this salad was. It made me disappointed in myself for not putting arugula in all my salads normally. It’s slight bitterness paired with the acidity of the yuzu juice was magic. Lastly, the thinly sliced, raw bell peppers were a great addition for added texture, and they kept it light. The only thing I did differently was add a lot more cracked pepper to it because I can’t help myself when it comes to pepper. I always want more of it.
All my love,
Dani, a big tid
P.S. Have you ever tried an actual yuzu? If so, tell me about that experience! I love trying foods from different cultures; it’s one of my favorite parts of traveling!
Follow Along!
This Is Gonna Be Fun.
Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on any of the good stuff–growth + successes, failure + flops, and all honest moments in between!
I’ve never tried a Yuzu before but I enjoy sweet oranges and fruit. As long as it isn’t too tart I could definitely get behind trying one.
I want to keep traveling and try fruits from all over the world!
I’ve never even heard of yuzu fruit. It sounds like something from a Dr. Seuss book. 🙂
You are so right, it does sound like something from a Dr. Suess book! But maybe instead of a fruit, it would be a creature hahaha.