Ponzu Gel Cubes
Ponzu Gel Cubes – a bright, umami-packed garnish to instantly elevate salads, grazing boards and modern entertaining
I have had this recipe floating around in my head for years. I cannot even recall where I first came across something like it, but it stayed with me and finally this Christmas I pulled it out to have with our elegant brunch. We didn't do Christmas dinner on actual Christmas Day this year as we flew very early on Boxing Day morning to see our daughter so we had a fantastic brunch instead and grazed the rest of the day after all the guests had gone! I confess I am a little obsessed with these flavour bombs. They will be showing up again and again. SO good.
These ponzu gel cubes are tiny flavour bombs that deliver big impact. Made with citrusy, savoury ponzu and set into jewel-like cubes, they’re the kind of finishing touch that makes a dish feel restaurant-worthy with almost no effort. Perfect scattered over salads, tucked into grazing boards or used as a pop of acidity alongside rich dishes, they melt gently on the tongue and bring balance, freshness and umami to everything they touch. A clever little garnish to keep in your entertaining toolkit.
Serving Suggestions
Scatter over green or noodle salads for bursts of citrus and umami
Add to a grazing board alongside sashimi, smoked salmon or cured fish
Serve with oysters or seafood platters as a fresh alternative to mignonette
Tuck into rice bowls, poke bowls or sushi-style platters
Pair with grilled vegetables or charred broccolini for contrast and brightness
Use as a finishing garnish for seared tuna or beef tataki
Dot over avocado toast, carpaccio or crudo dishes
Add to cheese boards, especially with fresh cheeses like burrata or chèvre
Need
- 200 Grams tamari
- 100 Grams rice wine vinegar
- 100 Grams fresh lime juice
- 1 Pinch dried red chilli flakes
- 6 Teaspoons flavourless gelatin
Do
- 1
Place tamari, rice wine vinegar lime juice and chilli flakes into Thermomix bowl and heat 6 min/90°C/speed 3. Strain to remove chilli flakes.
- 2
Add gelatine and blend 30 sec/speed 7.
- 3
Pour into a shallow rectangular mould and set in the fridge.
- 4
Slice into cubes and use as a garnish on salad, seafood, or as directed in recipes of choice.
- 5
I am serving these at Christmas (2025) as part of a cured salmon, cream cheese and bagel board.
Served with
Tenina Holder is a wife, mother of five and grandmother of nine, who started cooking in the olden days before Thermomix was even a thing.
Tenina has become the premium go to source for all Thermomix expertise and of course fresh and easy recipes that work. Her cooking classes and foodie trips are sold out in literally hours, her cookbooks appear on the Australian best seller lists and her social reach is in the millions. Her Insider Club is the most fun you can have with a Thermomix and you really should join her! She believes chocolate, butter and salt are health foods. Her food positivity mantra is, eat everything, just not all at once!
