When it comes to cooking wine, many readers ask about substitutions. Keep the bottle well sealed and store it in a cool, dry place like your pantry. Sometimes it is labeled with this spelling: michiu. Buying & StoringДЇind clear mi jiu near the other cooking wines in Chinese grocery stores, usually near the sauce aisle. ThatвЂ™s why you rarely see clear mi jiu here on The Woks of Life. However, we use Shaoxing wine so often in our cooking that it has become our automatic go-to. ItвЂ™s better suited to delicate steamed dishes, seafood, and fish. ThereвЂ™s an important distinction between Shaoxing rice wine, which we call for most often in our recipes, and clear rice wine, which is colorless and resembles water.Д¬lear wine has a clearer and purer taste than the Shaoxing wine we use in most of our recipes. While this cooking wine may not be pleasing to the palette by itself, it adds an excellent and crucial flavor to many Chinese dishes. That said, the common cooking advice of, вЂњdonвЂ™t cook with a wine you wouldnвЂ™t drinkвЂќ does not apply here. We would NOT recommend drinking any of the wines you find at Asian grocery stores! These wines often have salt added to avoid an alcohol tax, which makes them briny and much more suited to cooking than drinking. There are even some varieties that people drink, though we have not seen any outside of China. This method helps to cook off any alcoholic edge and create that highly sought-after wok hay (breath of the wok) flavor. ItвЂ™s used frequently in marinades and sauces, and to deglaze intensely hot woks during the stir-frying process. Just like using wine in Western dishes, Chinese rice wine adds depth and flavor complexity to dishes. While the most famous variety comes from Shaoxing (read more about Shaoxing wine), mijiu is made and used all over China, both as a beverage and for cooking. It is a sub-type of huang jiu (й»„й…’ literally: yellow wine), which is a category of Chinese alcoholic beverages made from rice, sorghum, millet, or wheat and a jiu qu liquor fermentation starter. It can be clear and colorless, light yellow, or dark brown in color, and generally has an alcohol content ranging from 12-20%. What is Chinese Rice Wine ( mijiu, з±ій…’)?Д¬hinese rice wine, or mi jiu (literally: rice wine ), is made from glutinous rice (aka sticky rice). When should clear rice wine be used instead of Shaoxing wine? Where can you purchase it? How should it be stored? In this article, weвЂ™ll review all that and more.

Because of a low acid content, do not use for pickling.ДЄny light, white flavored vinegar can be interchanged, with the exception of regular distilled vinegar.While shaoxing rice wine is ubiquitous on the Woks of Life and one of our 10 Essential Chinese Pantry Ingredients, what about the clear Chinese rice wine (mЗђ jiЗ”, з±ій…’) nearby on the market shelf?.

Blend oil and rice wine vinegar for salad dressings.

Use it in thickening sauces for such dishes as Szechwan Beef and Pork Lo Mein.

With its light taste, you can add to salads or sprinkle across cooked vegetables.

It will keep about one year unopened in the pantry. Remember that vinegar is fermented and will spoil a recipe that requires wine. The two should not be used interchangeably. There is often confusion between rice wine and rice wine vinegar.

Korean brands are the strongest in flavor.

Mirin is one type that is popular for sushi dishes. Seasoned flavorings include garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, and oregano. Black vinegar is popular with Chinese cooks for stir-frying.ДЄll are made from fermented rice wine and are either seasoned (usually with a sweetener) or unseasoned. The latter (white) is the most readily available.

Rice wine vinegar is available in red, black, and white, which can be clear or amber in color. Use this type of vinegar for its mildness, which is significant compared to those made from white or red wine. It provides a complementary balance to fish sauces, chile oils, and sweet flavorings such as honey. Rice wine vinegar (also called вЂњrice vinegarвЂќ) has many uses, but is most commonly an addition to Asian dishes.