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Sauces, pastes & condiments · Cooking wines

Shaoxing wine

Amber Chinese rice wine from Shaoxing used to marinate meat and lift stir-fries, braises and dumpling fillings.

Also called: chinese cooking wine, huangjiu, rice wine

31 recipes with it

What it is

A fermented wine (huangjiu) brewed from glutinous rice and wheat-based starter, aged until amber. It has a nutty, slightly caramel taste a bit like dry sherry. Cooking-grade bottles are often salted; drinking-grade versions are smoother. Not the same as Japanese sake or mirin.

How it’s used

  • Marinating meat and seafood for stir-fries
  • Splashing around the wok edge in stir-fries
  • Red-cooked pork and braises
  • Drunken chicken
  • Dumpling and wonton fillings

Characteristics

Taste
Nutty, savoury, slightly sweet and bitter.
Aroma
Sherry-like, fragrant.
Appearance
Clear amber.
When cooked
Releases aroma when it hits a hot wok; alcohol cooks off partly.
Sold as
liquid
Cooking uses
Mainly a seasoning, Commonly cooked

Storage

Pantry-stable. Keep sealed in a cool cupboard after opening; flavour fades slowly.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Wheat, Gluten.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free
  • Contains alcohol and usually wheat (gluten). Cooking versions can be high in salt.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
134 kcal
Protein
0.5 g
Carbohydrate
5 g
Fat
0 g
Fibre
0 g
Sugars
0 g

USDA FoodData Central: Alcoholic beverage, rice (sake) (a close stand-in).

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Dry sherry — Closest common substitute; same amount.
  • Sake — Same amount; lighter flavour.

Related ingredients

Recipes with shaoxing wine

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