Rice wine is an essential ingredient in many Asian dishes, adding depth and complexity of flavor to a variety of recipes. From marinades and sauces to deglazing hot woks, rice wine is a key component of Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean and Thai cuisine. In this article, we'll explore the different types of rice wine available, how it's used in cooking and why it's so important to Asian cuisine. Michiu rice cooking wine is a fermented rice wine from the Taiwanese oriental brand Michiu or mijiu. It is used in many Taiwanese dishes, such as chicken with sesame oil (ma you ji), three cups of chicken (san bei ji) and three cups of tofu (san bei tofu).
This type of rice wine softens the taste of proteins and enhances other ingredients, such as vegetables and herbs. Chinese cooking wine is also known as Shaoxing cooking wine, yellow wine or huangjiu (), liaojiu, huadiao liaojiu, shaohsing cooking wine, chia fan wine or simply rice wine. It is available in Chinese stores and markets that serve East and Southeast Asian communities. Shaoxing rice wine is consumed as an alcoholic beverage and is also used as an ingredient in Asian dishes, especially in Shanghai-style Chinese cuisine. Shaoxing wine is used to add flavor to dishes in much the same way that French cuisine uses wine. In Japanese cuisine, mirin and sake are also popular ingredients.
However, Chinese cuisine makes particularly generous use of rice wine. There are a lot of different brands available in Asian stores, with Double Phoenix being the most common. If you're worried about consuming a small amount of alcohol in food, it's best to avoid eating Chinese food from Chinese restaurants as Shaoxing wine is a key ingredient in many dishes. However, if you're cooking at home you can substitute Shaoxing wine with dry sherry or dry white wine. In conclusion, rice wine is an essential ingredient in many Asian dishes. It adds depth and complexity of flavor to recipes and can be used for marinades, sauces and deglazing hot woks.
There are many different types of rice wine available, with Shaoxing being the most popular. If you're worried about consuming alcohol in food, you can substitute Shaoxing with dry sherry or dry white wine.
