Saturday, March 9, 2024

Where Can I Buy Shaoxing Wine

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Alternate Names & Spellings

COOKING BASICS – WHAT IS SHAOXING RICE WINE?? | HOW DOES SHAOXING RICE WINE TASTE?

Shaoxing wine is also sometimes called hua diao wine , which translates to carved flower wine to describe the flower design carved into the clay jars once used to store and age it.

This alternate name can also be spelled, hua tiao chiew

Chia Fan wine is another nam you may see on some bottles. It is similar to hua diao wine. These Shaoxing wines are made using more rice during the brewing process, hence the name chia fan, which literally means add rice.

There are also alternate spellings, including shao xing wine or shaohsing wine. All are the same type of cooking wine.;

Is It Safe For Children To Consume

Chinese Cooking Wine usually has an alcohol content of between 15 20%. Because stir fries are cooked quickly, the alcohol content does not cook out. But recipes only use a small amount of Chinese Cooking Wine usually only 1 or 2 tablespoons for a stir fry that will serve between 3 to 4 people.

So the amount of alcohol in the cooked dish is very small. And you certainly cannot taste it!

But if you are concerned about consuming a small amount of alcohol in food, then I would advise you to not eat any Chinese food from Chinese restaurants because Shaoxing Wine is such a key ingredient in Chinese cooking, it is used in almost everything. Certainly in all the take out favourites!

In fact, I would advise you not to eat Chinese, Japanese, Korean or Thai food from any restaurant because all these cuisines use cooking rice wines in a similar manner.

Substitutions For Shaoxing Wine

Is there a substitute for the Shaoxing wine? is one of the most common questions we get on the blog.;

If you want to cook Chinese dishes often at home, we highly suggest you get to your nearest Chinese market to buy a bottle , because youll use it in the vast majority of the dishes you cook, and its flavor makes all the difference.;

However, if you truly cant locate it or want a quick substitution for a one-time cooking experiment, the most common substitute we recommend is dry cooking sherry, which is readily available in any supermarket.;

If you have it on hand, you could also substitute any other Chinese rice wine. In small amounts, you can also substitute Japanese/Korean wines such as soju or sake. Were hesitant to suggest substituting a more commonly found Japanese rice wine seasoning called mirin, but it can be used in a pinch. Just know that the dish will not taste authentically Chinese, and you should cut out any sugar called for in the recipe, as mirin is much sweeter than Shaoxing wine.;

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Shaoxing Rice Wine Buying Guide

When I first began cooking Chinese food on my own, I wasn’t old enough to legally buy liquor. At that time, I was living with my brother and sister, so Dan helped me out. He took me to Trader Joe’s where I foolishly picked up a bottle of cream sherry. The recipe called for Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry. I didn’t know that cream sherry was sweet and Shaoxing was dry. I can’t recall what I made but it was no bueno.

Then he took me to a Chinese market where I had a hard time figuring out Shaoxing rice wine. Some were cooking wines shelved in one area and there were others in the liquor area. I bought the cooking one and it was salty and nasty tasting.

A few years later, a cookbook by Barbara Tropp enlightened to the fact that I needed Shaoxing without salt. Why cook with “cooking” sherry when you can cook and drink from regular sherry? I’ve been cooking for decades and am far from being a pro at buying Shaoxing rice wine but I do know what to look for. I hope my tips below help you.

Where To Buy Shaoxing Wine

Shaoxing Wine: Chinese Ingredients

While you may think that since you live in China, finding Shaoxing wine is easy, its never easy. In fact, the probability of finding it in your nearby grocery store is next to impossible.

You can find your best wine in big Asian markets if you are in the US or the best place to find it is on Amazon.

You can also get them in the various cooking stores. I often buy my Shaoxing wine from Rakuten global market and Ive never been disappointed. Whenever you visit the Chinese markets you will find the Shaoxing wines at the frozen food section.

One thing you should be careful about though is buying the wine kind that has increased amount of salt in it because that tastes awful.

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Shaoxing Rice Wine: Where And How To Buy It

Several people have inquired about Shaoxing rice wine, a commonly used Chinese ingredient that I frequently reach for when making Chinese food, including many Asian dumplings. The questions asked include: Where do I buy the rice wine? Where is it stocked in an Asian market? and What is a substitute for it? This post will hopefully answer those questions and more!

What is Shaoxing rice wine? How is Chinese rice wine used?Amber colored, aromatic, and pleasantly nutty tasting, Shaoxing rice wine is the standard spirit in Chinese cooking. Made of brown glutinous rice, it is one of the earliest types of liquors that the Chinese made. Shaoxing rice wine adds an unmistakable flavor and fragrance to dishes, whether it is mixed into Asian dumpling fillings, added to marinades for roasted meats such as char siu pork, combined with seasonings for stir-fries, or simmered with soy sauce and sugar for red-cooked dishes. If youve ever used sake in Japanese cooking, Shaoxing rice wine is employed quite similarly in Chinese cuisine. Sip on some of the rice wine and youll warm up quickly as it contains about 17 to 18% alcohol.

Surprise Shaoxing rice wine is made in Shaoxing, a city located in Zhejiang, a province on the eastern coast of China. Picture Shanghai and Zhejiang province is right below it.

Related information:

Where Can You Buy It

You can find;Shaoxing wine at your local Chinese grocery store, where they’ll normally have several brands in both big and small bottles to choose from. It’s wise to get a smaller bottle if you don’t plan on using it every day, as it can keep for a long time.;Shaoxing wine can keep up to about six months unrefrigerated, but always make sure to look at the expiration date if you’re unsure. If you’re not planning on refrigerating Shaoxing wine, keeping it sealed tightly in a cool and dark place works just fine.;

If you’d like to extend the longevity of the rice wine for a bit longer, feel free to refrigerate it. This way if you don’t use it every day, it won’t lose its fragrant smell as quickly. However, unless it’s drinking;Shaoxing wine, keeping it in the pantry usually suffices. While rice wine vinegar does not spoil, it is good to note that the taste and quality will diminish over time.

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What Can I Use In Place Of Chinese Cooking Wine

The best substitutes for Shaoxing Wine / Chinese Cooking Wine are as follows:

  • Dry sherry thats right, just every day cheap and cheerful dry sherry;
  • Mirin a Japanese sweet cooking wine.
  • Cooking Sake / Japanese Rice Wine this is a bit lighter in flavour than Chinese cooking wine, but is an acceptable substitute.

5 . 2018 .

What Is Shaoxing Wine And How Do You Use It

What is Shaoxing Wine, and why’s it in almost every Chinese recipe?

Every culture has certain flavors and ingredients that are associated with it. When folks think about Spanish and Italian food, their mind might float to things like olive oil, garlic, and tomatoes. When folks think of Lebanon and Greece, they think of baklava, gyros, and shawarma. Asian cuisine, like many other cuisines, is as vast as the people that represent it. In Korea, you’ll find kimchi and bibimbap, while Japan has things like sushi and sake.;

Jump over to China and you will find a plethora of ingredients that while common within their cuisine, may be a bit more uncommon for those not of Chinese origin or descent. For example, Shaoxing wine is one of the most common ingredients found throughout Chinese cooking that is relatively unheard of if you’re not Chinese. Shaoxing wine, much like soy sauce, is the one ingredient that takes Chinese cuisine to the next level.

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Can Children Eat Foods Made With Shaoxing Wine

Most recipes prepared with Shaoxing wine usually have the alcohol boiled off before the dish is ready to eat, so theyre safe for anyone. However, if your diet or lifestyle restricts alcohol consumption, it may be best to avoid foods made with Shaoxing wine. Still, its unlikely that your kid would get drunk from eating such food, but if youre uncomfortable about it, its best to either avoid it altogether or use a non-alcoholic substitute like mushroom broth.

What Do You Use Rice Wine Vinegar For

When just a touch of sweetness and acidity is called for, rice wine vinegar is what you want. The seasoned rice wine vinegar flavor pairs well with Asian cooking, though that is a well-known fact. It accompanies sweet-and-sour dishes perfectly as the acetic acid is just the right amount to let the sweetness shine.

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Shaoxing Wine Your Best Cooking Wine In The Market

Chinese cuisine is popularly known for its rich flavor and artistic nature of meal preparation. What most people dont understand is that the natives use unique ingredients and cooking style to come up with the spicy yet healthy delicacies.

One of the unique ingredients in almost every dish in China;is Shaoxing wine. While the westerners believe that cooking wine is only meant for cooking, in China we believe that you shouldnt cook with any wine that you would never drink.

I know that whenever you are out for your shopping at the grocery stores you may have noticed a list of wines being promoted as cooking wine. This is mostly used for cooking only especially in the western countries.

I love cooking wines because they not only enhance the flavor of your food but you can also enjoy drinking.

Unlike regular wines that are naturally flavorful, strong in taste and finer, the cooking wine is your go-to wine that will only add the exact flavor you desire.

According to wine folly, the difference in your food is the kind of wine you use.

Can I Use Rice Wine Instead Of Sherry

Buy Three year old Shaoxing rice wine 500ml / bottle of ...

Available at liquor stores, pale dry sherry is the most commonly recommended substitute for rice wine. It comes closest in flavor to Shaoxing rice wine (also spelled. Since rice wine can be hard to find, many recipes will only have dry sherry in the ingredient list, not even listing rice wine as an option.

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Shaoxing Wine Can I Get It Anywhere In Gta

toyopl wrote: I’m getting more into cooking with Wok.I see that many cooks mention marinating meat with Shaoxing Wine, is it possible to buy it anywhere in GTA ?

12 days north of Hop

alkizmo wrote: My wife buys that stuff in small chinese grocery stores. They don’t put it on display on shelves, but they will sell it to you if you ask for it. The reason for the “clandestine” transaction is because of liquor permit requirements.

ToniCipriani wrote: Salted wine that is labeled for cooking only doesn’t need a license. T&T has them.

Toronto

How To Store Shaoxing Wine

Shaoxing wine does not need to be refrigerated once opened. Just keep it in your pantry and it keeps for years! Check the expiry date on your bottle.

Pictured: Egg Fried Rice

I hope thats helped to answer some questions you mightve had about Shaoxing Wine! Youll find that I use Chinese cooking wine in virtually every Chinese recipe on my site. Ive popped a list of some of the most popular ones below!; Nagi x

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What Does Rice Wine Taste Like

A popular kind of Chinese rice wine, Shaoxing, is dry with a sharp vinegar flavor, and its added to a number of Chinese dishes. Some rice wines are sweet while others are spicy with a savory element. Its tough to pin down one general flavor, but sweetness, tanginess and spice are not uncommon.

White Grape Juice + Rice Vinegar

Ask the Test Kitchen: Cooking with mirin and shaoxing

While this isnt an ideal option, when you are in a pinch, white grape juice, and rice vinegar together can achieve a similar flavor to Shaoxing wine.

Make sure you buy white grape juice, otherwise, the flavor will be completely different, and so the color. Some people regularly use white grape juice to replace cooking wine, so it can work, particularly when mixed with the acidity of rice vinegar.

To replace Shaoxing, add ½ cup white grape juice and one tablespoon rice vinegar for every one cup of Shaoxing wine. You can add more as you go, but make sure you taste, and always adjust for sugar.

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Can You Sub Chinese Cooking Wine For Sherry

The best substitutes for Shaoxing Wine / Chinese Cooking Wine are as follows: Dry sherry thats right, just every day cheap and cheerful dry sherry; Mirin a Japanese sweet cooking wine. Cooking Sake / Japanese Rice Wine this is a bit lighter in flavour than Chinese cooking wine, but is an acceptable substitute.

Shaoxing Rice Wine Tasting

Out of curiosity, I recently bought 3 bottles of Shaoxing to try. Two of them come from the same golden Pagoda Brand. The other is bottled in a squarish bottle and produced by a different maker. The colors are more or less the same.

The bottle on the left is the most common one sold, priced about $4 where I shop. It was my standard for years. The flavor is like a slightly rough fino sherry. The one in the middle came tissue wrapped in a box. I paid more than $5 but its flavor was more complex and sophisticated than the red label kin. The one on the right was about $9 and tasted similar to the middle one. Both the middle and right bottles tasted more refined than the ordinary red label Pagoda. There are other grades of Pagoda Brand of Shaoxing between the red and the boxed gold!

Does the price and quality matter? Like with any liquor that you cook with, it should taste good to you. My food was fine with the basic red label Shaoxing. With the higher priced ones, my food had a little more elegance.

What did I pay for? Aging. I chose the boxed bottle plus the one on the right because they were aged for 8 years. That was indicated on their labels:

Those characters indicate that the Shaoxing rice wines had been aged for eight years . According to a Wikipedia entry on Chinese huangjiu , some Shaoxing may be aged for 50 years!

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How Do I Choose Which Shaoxing Rice Wine To Buy

The best Shaoxing wine should contain only water, rice and wheat. In the USA salt is added, primarily to allow it to be sold in stores where alcohol is not permitted. If made outside China, bottles may also be labelled Shaohsing Wine, depending on its origins.

This Taiwanese brand is suitable for both cooking and drinking and will bring a rich, hearty, homecooked flavour to any savoury dish.

Is Chinese Cooking Wine The Same As Dry Sherry

Shaoxing Rice Wine Buying Guide

Shaoxing wine is a Chinese rice wine used for drinking and cooking. The wine is named after a famous winemaking city of the same name in China. Shaoxing rice wine is made from brown glutinous rice and commonly aged for 10 or more years. Shaoxing wine has a mild flavor that tastes faintly like dry sherry.

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What Is Shaoxing Wine Used For

Every Chinese restaurant uses Shaoxing Wine in almost every savoury dish.;Youd be hard pressed to find a single dish on a Chinese restaurant menu that does;not use Chinese cooking wine!

It is used in every stir fry sauce, from classic Chop Suey / Chicken Stir Fries; to Cashew Chicken, Mongolian Beef to Beef and Broccoli, and Kung Pao Chicken.

Its also used in noodle recipes such as Chow Mein, and soup broths, like Wonton Soup andChinese Corn Soup. And the fillings for dumplings, like Wontons and Potstickers.

Pictured: Kung Pao Chicken and Potstickers

Should I Buy Salted Or Unsalted

Unsalted is the one you want! Check the label, it shouldnt have any salt in it. They sell salted Shaoxing as way to label it as cooking wine so it doesnt have to be exclusively sold in liquor stores. Salted Shaoxing is super salty and wont add that delicate flavor youre looking for. If its what you can find, go for it, but you should reduce the salt in the rest of your recipe.

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