rice wines & mirin

Cooking rice wine is a key ingredient in many Asian cuisines and is not to be overlooked – it is often what gives your dishes that restaurant-quality taste. There are several varieties of cooking wine from different countries across East Asia, but they each serve a similar purpose: adding depth and complexity to a dish.

Asian cooking wines, Chinese rice wines and mirins make an appearance in a wide range of diverse dishes. They can be put to good use in your stir fries, marinades, sauces, wonton fillings and much more.

 

chinese rice wines & shaoxing wine

Named for the city where it originates from, Shaoxing wine is one of the oldest and most popular Chinese rice wines. It is made by fermenting rice, water and wheat to produce an amber liquid with a slightly sweet flavour. 

Shaoxing wine has a richer, more complex taste than lighter-coloured Chinese rice wines for cooking, making it one of the go-to choices for your more layered dishes.

 

japanese mirin for cooking

Another popular cooking wine is mirin, which is a Japanese sweet rice wine. Like Shaoxing wine, you can use mirin in a wide range of dishes, especially in seasonings or as a glazing agent. Mirin has a mild, sweet taste, which will come through in your dish. Mirin is frequently used alongside things like soy sauce to complement rich, umami flavours.

If you want to make sushi rice, it is better to use rice vinegar or sushi seasoning rather than mirin so you can achieve the right flavour and texture.

 

cooking sake vs mirin

While both are a form of ‘rice wine’, their main differences lie in the alcohol content and taste. Mirin has a much lower alcohol content than cooking sake (which differs from regular drinking sake in that it has more salt in it) and a higher sugar content, leading to a noticeably sweeter flavour. Both are often used in marinades and to tenderise meat.

Cooking sake and Shaoxing wine can be good substitutes for each other if you’ve only got one in the pantry.