Rice Wine

Rice wine is a sweet wine enjoyed in Japan and China made from fermented glutinous rice, spring water and yeast. It is an important ingredient in Oriental cooking, especially for marinades, sauces and stir-fry dishes. The nearest Western equivalent to Chinese rice wine is dry, pale sherry, which although doesn't have the same rich, mellow flavour, can be used in its place.

There are a number of different types of rice wine, including amber coloured Mirin, a sweet Japanese rice wine that contains 40% sugar and 10% alcohol. Combined with dark soy sauce, it is used as a marinade and for basting grilled foods such as teriyaki when it forms a sticky golden glaze. It is used on its own to season sushi.

Shaoxing is a clear sherry-coloured wine from China. It is used in the marinades for char-siu pork and for cuttlefish, and in stir-fried dishes to moisten the ingredients.

Rice wine is quite different to Japanese sake, which strictly speaking is not a wine. The rice is boiled and then the yeast is added, in a method more similar to brewing than wine-making. The Japanese use sake to remove strong flavours and to enhance delicate ones. It is also used as a marinade for chicken and other meats.