The wonderful people from Kikkoman contacted me a couple of weeks ago about trying another product of theirs – Lime Ponzu.  I readily agreed because last time Kikkoman contacted me I was able to make some of the best turkey ever by brining it in soy.

So back to the lime ponzu.  I’d never heard of ponzu before, let alone lime ponzu, so I was definitely intrigued.

Apparently ponzu is used quite a bit in Japanese cooking.  Ponzu is a citrus seasoned dressing and sauce, which delivers the perfect balance of salty, tangy and sweet.  What Kikkoman wanted me to see is that Ponzu can also be used in Mexican cooking!  In fact, they asked me to prepare a ¡Kikko de Mayo Fiesta! {Clever, huh? Sadly I can’t take the credit.}  They sent me recipes for a few Mexican dishes including carne asada, fajitas and even salsa!  Since I’m no culinary master, I decided to focus on the carne asada.  Well, scratch that.  I’ll be honest with you.  I sweetly asked my boyfriend to make the carne asada because I don’t like to play with red meat.

We soaked the steak in a marinade of Kikkoman Lime Ponzu, garlic, and limes over night.  The next evening we wanted to grill the steaks but due to the lovely April showers Chicago was experiencing we had to settle for broiling.  The steaks turned out very flavorful!  My boyfriend definitely appreciated the steak more than I did, but I’m also more of a petit filet kind of gal.  He ate almost everything and said that he would definitely be making the carne asada again.  I thought the lime flavoring was pretty strong and actually made the steak a little too sweet.  My boyfriend thought I was crazy when I said that, so maybe that’s just me.  I definitely want to try other recipes using this new-to-me product.  Kikkoman Ponzu is available in lemon or lime flavors and can be used right from the bottle as a salad dressing, marinade, or dipping sauce.  {Interested in trying the carne asada recipe?  Go here to download it.}

If you’re interested in trying Kikkoman Ponzu, visit http://www.kikkomanusa.com/homecooks and click on Kikko de Mayo for fun recipes and to download a coupon for a free Ponzu with purchase of any Kikkoman sauce.

**This giveaway is now closed.**