calamansi + lemongrass kosho

4 ingredients•Prep: 30 mins

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Kenji Morimoto•

Dec 29, 2025

My go-to recipe for a kosho is roughly equal parts chilli to citrus zest and between 10-15% salt of the total weight of those two main ingredients. Yuzu kosho is perhaps the most well known of the kosho but yuzu is fairly hard to find (and expensive!). So, as always, use what you have and what you can find!

Note that this is salty but mellows with time - all of the core ingredients can be changed based on your preferences and what you have available.

Use this as a condiment, chilli paste for teh base of a curry or stir fry, as a marinade. Or maybe even in a cheeky margarita. Lots of ideas.

Key equipment

Food processor

Kitchen scale

Ingredients (4)

Chilli(130 g, roughly chopped)
any combination of fresh chilli will work well - aim for a variety of hot, fruity, and mild
Calamansi(130 g, quartered and seeds removed)
other citrus varieties will work however note that you'll want to use varieties with pith that is less bitter (otherwise just use the zest)
Lemongrass(40 g, roughly chopped)
Salt(39 g)
13% of the total weight of the above ingredients

Instructions

Put all ingredients into a blender and blitz to a paste-like consistency. You can use a mortar and pestle - I tend to go for a coarser consistency as you can always puree it further! If using quartered calamansi, you may want to add a small amount of water to loosen the mixture as it blitzes.
Decant into a jar, cover with cling film or parchment paper (to minimise oxygen exposure), and ferment at room temperature for 2-3 weeks. Move to the fridge after the initial period where it will continue to ferment. You can leave it at room temperature longer but keep an eye on it (and give it the occasional mix) to ensure there is no yeast or mould growth.