![]() ![]() Again, it is always best to use an unsalted wine from Shaoxing labeled huadiao. ![]() The salted varieties are also easy to find online. Finally, Chinese cooking wine is very effective at reducing gaminess, fishiness, or funk, finding its way into marinades and dishes containing lamb, pungent fish, or certain fermented products.Ĭhinese cooking wine is available in Chinese groceries and markets catering to East and Southeast Asian communities. According to Harold McGee, author of " On Food and Cooking," a small amount of alcohol in a dish actually helps release some of those aromatic compounds into the air, enhancing the fragrance of the finished food (think penne alla vodka). But there's more! Alcohol itself is an excellent solvent and bonds to aromatic compounds in the dish, including some that are not soluble in water or oil. All of those qualities will carry through to the final dish, along with the faintest trace of alcoholic sharpness (contrary to popular belief, some alcohol always remains after cooking). You should find sweet, sour, astringent, and umami notes, along with a rich, complex aroma. Take a little sip of your Chinese cooking wine (even if it's salted) and swirl it around your tongue. The most obvious answer is that it tastes delicious. But still, why bother cooking with alcohol when you could be drinking it instead? ![]() It's a little easier, of course, if that wine is puckeringly salty. If you're like me, it probably breaks your heart just a little bit to pour a bottle of perfectly sippable wine into a braise or stew, particularly if you'll have to wait hours to actually eat it. If you can find a bottle labeled huadiao, get it. These salted cooking wines are generally inferior to genuine, unsalted Shaoxing wines, but they'll do for most recipes. Careful, though - most exported wine labeled as Shaoxing is spiced and salted to get around taxes and import fees for drinkable wines. The medium-dry huadiao ("carved flower") wine produced in Shaoxing has a rich, slightly nutty taste perfect for braises, stir-fries, or for sipping in the kitchen. The best huangjiu comes from the city of Shaoxing. But when someone refers to liaojiu (cooking wine), they are usually talking about a variety of amber huangjiu ("yellow wine"). There is a huge range of styles, from light, clear mijiu (similar to Japanese sake) to dark, sweet xiang xue jiu ("fragrant snow wine"). ![]() And we're here to help.Ĭhinese wines are made by fermenting grain (typically rice or sticky rice mixed with millet, barley, or wheat) with a starter of molds and yeasts. If your pantry (or liquor cabinet) is short a bottle of Chinese wine, for cooking and for drinking, it's time to fix that. Sure, French cooking gets well-deserved attention for its liberal use of wine, and Japanese cooking wouldn't be nearly as delicious without mirin and sake, but there are few places where alcohol is used as effectively, or as liberally, as in Chinese cuisines. The magnificent aromas, the satisfying glug of rich liquid pouring from the bottle, and, of course, the drinking. This story first appeared on Food52, an online community that gives you everything you need for a happier kitchen and home – that means tested recipes, a shop full of beautiful products, a cooking hotline, and everything in between! ![]()
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