What's the better substitute for Shaoxing wine?
We've had a number of questions about Shaoxing wine, including this one. However, I have one that I haven't seen directly addressed either here or on the outside websites I've been able to find:
Is straight dry sherry actually the best substitute for Shaoxing wine? Or would a mix be better?
Details: I live in the US state of Oregon. Due to liquor import restrictions here, I cannot buy real Shaoxing wine; just the awful "cooking" wine. In addition to its low quality, I have to cook for someone on a low-salt diet so salted cooking wine is unacceptable.
The conventional recommendation for replacing Shaoxing wine is pale dry sherry. However, this advice is usually based on the assumption that the asker has no access to Chinese ingredients of any kind. So I'm asking if some mixture of sherry, sake, and/or Chinkiang vinegar might be a better flavor substitute. Since I plan to use this in a sauce where the wine would normally be the majority of the liquid, I'd like to do better if possible.
So, would a mix be a better substitute than straight sherry, and if so, what proportions?
Best Answer
I think mirin is going to be sweeter than shaoxing wine. This link however has much more information about shaoxing wine, and they say that a Japanese sake, sherry, or even a white wine could be substituted depending on context.
This is outside the scope of the question, but have you checked Uwajimaya?
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Can you replace Shaoxing wine with rice vinegar?
To replace Shaoxing, add \xbd 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.Can I use normal wine instead of Shaoxing wine?
You can use non-alcoholic wine or beer to substitute Shaoxing wine with. However, this is only suitable for people who can tolerate small amounts of alcohol because there are usually still trace levels of alcohol in non-alcoholic drinks.Can I use apple cider vinegar instead of Shaoxing wine?
Can I Use Apple Cider Vinegar Instead Of Shaoxing Wine? As a matter of fact, rice wine vinegar is worth keeping in your pantry if you love Asian cuisine. However, in a pinch, another light, mild vinegar, such as apple cider vinegar or champagne vinegar, can be used in its place.Is rice vinegar the same as Shaoxing wine?
Common varieties of rice wine include Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine), mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine), and sake (dry Japanese rice wine). Rice vinegar, also referred to rice wine vinegar (which further adds to the confusion), is made by fermenting the sugars in rice first into alcohol, and then into acid.what. (Bo Burnham FULL SHOW HD)
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