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Yuzu (柚子) is a delicious and sweet citrus fruit that grows in Japan and other East Asian countries. Yuzu is unique because it is not as sour as lemon, but not as sweet as orange. It can be a tad on the bitter side. Yuzu is mostly unheard of in the USA. It was a special treat for me to try the many yuzu snacks and juice that I found in stores in Tochigi prefecture.

My friend in Japan invited me over to make yuzu jam which is also highly popular, from the many yuzu on her property. Some of the Japanese ladies in the area said they often use pectin from the store to make the jam, but since we had none, we simply used the seeds to bring out the natural pectin.

We used 8 yuzu for this recipe, and ended up with about 10 medium sized jars full of yuzu jam. You also want to weigh the yuzu beforehand so you know how much sugar to add.

The first thing we did was clean and quarter the yuzu:

We then squeezed them over a mesh colander to catch the seeds (if you have a citrus juicer, all the better).

Put the seeds aside as they help in the boiling process.

We also scraped the pulp out of the peel (which we would julienne) and set all aside in separate bowls.

This is about how much juice, pulp, and seeds we had once we were done squeezing:

And here is the peel, after slicing into thin strips:

Chop up the pulp with a knife. Someone later suggested a food processor (which we did not have) would make this process easier as well.

We boiled and simmered the yuzu pulp and the peel separately, to remove bitterness from each. We did this for about ten minutes, then drained the water. Others say that they do this step twice to remove more bitterness. We did not mind the taste, so left it alone after the first boil.

Then we added the juice, pulp and seeds altogether. (Put the seeds in a reusable tea bag or tea filter, so they do not get lost in the mixture). Add the peels in the same pan and covered all with water.

We added the sugar to the mixture. (It is suggested to add 1/3 to 1/2 the amount of the yuzu in sugar). The 8 yuzu we used weighed around 530 grams, and since we did not want the jam too sweet, we added 1/3 the amount of the yuzu in sugar. This came to about 180 grams sugar. Then we boiled for about half an hour (or a little longer if you would like to thicken it more).

Check the thickness. Keep in mind that it will get thicker after it cools as well.

We did not do the usual canning method but this may be desirable if you want to keep it longer. We were planning to eat it fairly quickly (since it is delicious), so we just sterilized the jars. (See this website for sterilization guidelines).

Enjoy!

Yield: 10 small - medium jars

Yuzu Jam

This jam is made from yuzu, a popular citrus fruit in Japan.

Ingredients

8 yuzu
¾ to 1 cup sugar (adjust to your taste)
A reusable tea bag for the seeds

Instructions

Clean and quarter the yuzu. Prepare three bowls to hold the peel, pulp, and juice.
Squeeze the quartered yuzu over a mesh colander to catch the seeds. (You can use a citrus juicer if you have one).
The seeds are used in the boiling process, so put them into a reusable reusable tea bag or tea filter.
Scrape the pulp out of the peel.
Slice the peels into thin strips.
Chop the pulp into small sections with a knife or use a food processor.
Boil and simmer the yuzu pulp and the peel separately for about ten minutes, to remove bitterness from each. Drain the water.
(If you want to remove more bitterness you can repeat step 7).
Add the juice, pulp and bag of seeds altogether with the peels in the same pan and just cover with water.
Add the sugar to the mixture. Boil for about half an hour. If you haven't already, you can also boil your jars now to sterilize them.
Check the thickness. Boil it a little longer if you would like to thicken it more.
Enjoy!