Shaoxing Wine – also known as Chinese Cooking Wine or Shaosing Wine – is an essential in Chinese cooking, the secret ingredient that makes recipes truly taste like what you get at Chinese restaurants. Chinese restaurants use it by the gallon in everything from stir fry sauces to soup broths, marinades and wontons!
Shaoxing Wine is used in practically every single Chinese recipe I’ve shared – because it’s key ingredient!
WHAT IS SHAOXING WINE?
Shaoxing Wine is also known as Chinese Cooking Wine, Shao-hsing or Shaohsing Wine. I call it Chinese Cooking Wine in almost all my recipes.Â
Chinese Cooking Wine is a rice wine that is made specifically for cooking. It has a salty, harsh alcoholic flavour and it’s not intended for drinking!
Along with soy sauce, it is probablythe most important ingredient in Chinese cooking. Just like in Western cooking, it is used to add depth and complexity to sauces, broths and anything it is added to.
It’s usually used in small quantities – most stir fries only call for 1 or 2 tablespoons of Shaoxing Wine – and you can’t distinguish the taste of it in the finished dish. You just know it’s better! 🙂
SHAOXING WINE SUBSTITUTE
The best substitutes for Shaoxing Wine / Chinese Cooking Wine are as follows:
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Dry sherry – that’s right, just every day cheap and cheerful dry sherry;
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Mirin – a Japanese sweet cooking wine. If you use this, omit or reduce sugar called for in the recipe because Mirin is sweeter than Chinese Cooking Wine. If there’s no sugar to omit, that’s fine, just know that the sauce will be a bit sweeter;
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Cooking Sake / Japanese Rice Wine – this is a bit lighter in flavour than Chinese cooking wine, but is an acceptable substitute.
These work well because they are alcoholic, like Chinese cooking wine, so they bring a similar depth and complexity to sauces.
Non alcoholic substitute for Shaoxing Wine
Non alcoholic substitutes will vary from recipe to recipe, and I try to include the best substitute in every recipe. However, as a general rule, the best non alcoholic substitute is to use chicken broth (liquid chicken stock) in place of water in sauces.
Caveat: I understand that there are some people who can’t get or can’t consume alcohol, whether for health or religious reasons. But because Chinese cooking wine is such a key ingredient in Chinese sauces, I cannot promise the same recipe outcome if it is made without using an alcoholic substitute.
But for those who can consume alcohol, I really urge you to use one of the alcoholic substitutes above. You will thank me! 🙂
Pictured: Chop Suey / Chicken Stir Fry
WHAT IS SHAOXING WINE USED FOR?
Every Chinese restaurant uses Shaoxing Wine in almost every savoury dish. You’d 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 (pictured above) to Cashew Chicken, Mongolian Beef to Beef and Broccoli, and Kung Pao Chicken.
It’s also used in noodle recipes such as Chow Mein, and soup broths, like Wonton Soup and Chinese Corn Soup. And the fillings for dumplings, like Wontons and Potstickers.
Pictured: Kung Pao Chicken and Potstickers
IT’S THE SECRET INGREDIENT
If you’ve ever made a Chinese recipe and wondered why it didn’t taste quite as good as what you get from your favourite Chinese restaurant, then Chinese Cooking Wine is probably the missing ingredient.
You can get every other ingredient “right” in a stir fry sauce, but if you don’t use Chinese cooking wine, it will be missing that extra something-something that makes it truly taste restaurant quality.
My general advice is that if you come across a stir fry recipe in your internet travels that does not call for Chinese cooking wine, I would proceed with caution.
Or if it really looks tasty and you really want to try it anyway, add a splash of Chinese cooking wine and know you’ve just improved the recipe. (*She ducks as food bloggers all over chuck rotten tomatoes at her* 😉 )
Pictured: Chow Mein
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. 🙂
THE BRAND I USE
I use a brand called Double Pheonix (red bottle, above right) which I get from Asian grocery stores which costs a whopping $2 per bottle and will make 40 or 50 stir fries.
There are plenty of different brands at Asian stores and to be honest, I’m not furiously loyal to Double Pheonix, it is just the most common brand that I see. I’ve used others and not noticed a difference.
Chinese Cooking Wine is also now sold in supermarkets here in Australia. A brand called Pandaroo (above left bottle) which is perfectly adequate – though more expensive than real Chinese brands!
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 that’s helped to answer some questions you might’ve had about Shaoxing Wine! You’ll find that I use Chinese cooking wine in virtually every Chinese recipe on my site. I’ve popped a list of some of the most popular ones below! – Nagi x
POPULAR RECIPES THAT USE SHAOXING WINE
Try these popular Chinese takeout recipes at home:
CHICKEN
BEEF
NOODLES
DUMPLINGS & STARTERS
we want to buy Chinese rose wine for lap Cheong.
Do you have this wine?
waiting for your feedback
Hi Nhut, I don’t, it has a completely different flavour to Shaoxine because of the rose 🙂 N x
Please share your thoughts on Mei Kuei Lu Chiew – Chinese Rose Wine!
I bought this for some recipe I made in the past (can’t remember what) and haven’t used it since.
Could I use it as a 1-for-1 substitute for Shaoxing wine in your recipes?
Thanks Nagi – love your tried-and-tested recipes … Happy Friday!
Hi Nagi so I am unable to find Shaoxing Wine, instead there’s Shaoxing Wine Vingar and Mirin Vinegar available easily, can I substitute the same?
Hi Akriti – no you can’t as they are vinegar and will be sour, I’d stick with one of the recommended subs on the page here 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, I hit up my local Chinese mart to replace my last bottle of pandaroo but ended up with shiwan mijiu. Will this be a decent substitute or should I head back to my supermarket for the pandaroo?
Hi! Sorry if this is a repeat question, I tried looking through the comments but didn’t see anything similar.
I can’t get shaoxing wine, sake, or sherry where I live. We do have a lot of regular wine, other dark liquors(whiskey, etc.), and clear liquors(gin, vodka, etc.).
Is there another substitute for Shaoxing wine that could possibly be used for braised pork belly? Or should I just use chicken broth?
Any help is appreciated 🙂
I now possess a bottle of shaoxing cooking wine, which I have never used previously. I enjoy foods that are marinated before cooking. Do you have any marinade recipes that use shaoxing?
For those who eat Halal, I substitute Rice Vinegar for anything that says wine and they always come out delicious. I have not tried Chinkiang Vinegar yet, but plan to.
Adding Chicken Broth is not always a good substitute as we would need to make Halal Chicken Broth. *another step*
It would be wonderful to have a good easy recipe for making Chicken broth on Recipe Tin Eats.
Hi Kamilah, vinegar is not alway the best substitute here as it’s sour – shoaxing isn’t a vinegar and isn’t sour so when you sub with a vinegar, you’re changing the flavour of the dish significantly. N x
I agree! Although I have never tasted Shaoxing wine 😉
Each recipe is different like you said. So far just the rice vinegar has worked for me.
I do try to freeze Halal Chicken Broth, but I don’t always have it on hand so I have to find more readily available substitutes.
Apple juice with a bit of rice vinegar can help with the sour or pomegranate juice may be a promising substitute as used in a lot of Mediterranean dishes.
I haven worked through all the recipes on your blog yet, but I am having fun trying. Thank you so much!
Hello Nagi! Thank you always for your wonderful recipes. Got a question about this, or rather something I suppose might be similar…? I do have Shaoxing at home, but I recently found a wine called Jiujiang at my grocery store. It’s clear instead of dark but it seems to be another type of rice wine so I was wondering how similar it is to Shaoxing? Or to sake as well, not sure what it could be used for.
Hi Nagi. Thank you for this post! I live in Norway and unfortunately cannot find Chinese cooking wine anywhere!! I have however found mirin. I see you have listed this as a suitable substitute, however I wondered if it matters that it’s non-alcoholic mirin?
Non alcoholic Mirin will be fine Rosie!! N x
Hello! Are you aware if there a gluten free option for the cooking wine?
Hi Wendy, I’m unsure sorry – I’d need to look into this! N x
Thank you for your reply. My quick research says no. I went and purchased some Sherry today. Thank you for your wonderful recipes!!
I subscribe to the old adage to not cook with a wine you would not drink. In the US all cooking wine is adulterated with salt to avoid the alcohol tax and able to be sold in markets that do not normally sell alcoholic beverages. I cannot address the quality of wine used in supermarket Shaosing but other cooking wines are the pits and made with the cheapest wine. I get my drinking grade Shaosing in the liquor store for around 10 bucks. It really does taste like dry sherry and would use it going the other way, as a sherry substitute. The current brand I am using is Shaosing Hudiao Wine
Nagi! Nagi! Nagi! Your recipes are sinfully deslish! Thank goodness for lockdown otherwise I never would have found you. Used my slow cooker more in the last 4 months than in the last 4 years. I like all the tips you give. Dozer is beautiful and so lucky to be able to taste your food. I have 3 beautiful Rottweilers and they also love your recipes.
Hi Nagi,
I am reading a recipe to make from a Woman’s Weekly Cookbook & it’s for Mongolian Lamb.
The serving is for 4.
I wanted to see if I can substitute with Shaoxing-Wine.
It says to add 80Mls of Sweet Sherry to the stir-fry but I wanted to ask you if substituting that with Shaoxing-Wine would be okay?
Or would I have to put a lesser amount of the Shaoxing-Wine?
Your advice would be really appreciated.
Thankyou
Cathy x
Hi Cathy, I would use Shaoxing as it’s traditional! N x
Hi Nagi,
Thankyou for your reply.
So the amount 80Mls of Shaoxing-Wine would be okay?
As the original recipe says 80Mls Sweet Sherry.
Sorry just want to make sure!
Thankyou your Website has been a God-send truly
Cathy x
Nagi, I love your blog, website, food, recipes, location,dozer, photography, sence of humor, explanations of ingredients…..
You are SO refreshing!
don’t change, be u forever!
I have a daughter that moved to Sidney a few years ago with her daughter, my granddaughter. We had just started to see each other again after many many years apart. There was a bad divorce. Then Katy just up and went to Australia. Haven’t heard from her since. Shame, we shared alot of similar loves, the love of cooking and eating good food. Thai, Indian, Middle Eastern, I hope she finds her way into your kitchen. It seems like such a warm, comfortable, creative, tasty exciting, relieving, simple, satisfying, peaceful and satisfying place to be.
From the Distance, yet next door,
Jeff Georges
Nagi … I love you, your spirit, your recipes and Dozer … keep smiling.