What is Shaoxing Wine & How to Cook With it?

Foodies and home chefs like you have probably seen Shaoxing wine listed as an ingredient in a great variety of Chinese recipes. In fact, it is an essential pantry staple that gives Chinese dishes their distinctly appetizing aroma.

So, what makes Shaoxing wine so unique? Let’s find out!

The History of Shaoxing Wine

Originating from Shaoxing city in Zhejiang province of Eastern China, Shaoxing wine is among the oldest types of Chinese rice wine (huangjiu) with over 2,000 years of history. The earliest record of its production and consumption dates back to the late Zhou dynasty, around 500BC, when early forms of Shaoxing wine were used as a drink in banquets and ceremonies. It was even customary to bury jars of Shaoxing wine for the birth of one’s first daughter, preserving them for years and unearthing the aged wine to serve at her wedding.

As other alcoholic beverages became more popular over the centuries, Shaoxing wine gradually left the drinking table, but endured among Chinese chefs, who found it excellent to complement the natural taste of ingredients and other seasonings to uplift the overall flavour of their dishes.

Today, Shaoxing wine is a must-have taste enhancer from Chinese home pantries and street food stalls to the most refined restaurant kitchens.

Shaoxing city also remains the definitive home of rice wine production, thanks to its ideal climate for rice farming and mineral-rich freshwaters.

How is Shaoxing Wine Made?

The traditional method of making Shaoxing wine begins by soaking and steaming the rice, then mixing it with a yeast starter. The mash is fermented for around 3 to 5 days, then a wheat-based fermentation starter is added in with water, and vigorously stirred with a wooden oar to ensure the rice sugars break down evenly. This process is known as Kai Pa, and is the secret to brewing sweet-flavoured wine instead of bitter or sour.

The stirred mash is left to ferment for up to 90 days, then the wine is filtered out and stored in clay urns to age for months or even years. Some Shaoxing breweries may have wines aged for decades. And, the older the wine, the richer the taste, which also contributes to the varying prices of Shaoxing wine.

The common Shaoxing wine you’ll find at the grocer also has added salt, which gives it a longer shelf life and subtle savoury note.

Cooking with Shaoxing Wine

Shaoxing wine has a clear, dark amber hue with a mild sweet flavour and rich malty aroma, making it ideal to season meats, seafood, braised and steamed dishes, as well as stir-fries and soups. Used in almost every major Chinese cuisine, its importance is equal to soy sauce, and is widely regarded as the definitive Chinese cooking wine.

Here are 4 simple Chinese classic delights that get their tantalising taste and fragrance from Shaoxing Wine:

Shanghai-Style Braised Pork Belly

Known as Dong Po Rou, this beloved Shanghai braised pork belly special is a thousand-year-old recipe, believed to have been created by the multi-talented statesman Su Dong Po of the Song Dynasty. The pork belly is cut to chunky cubes and tied. Wok-fried till slightly browned with a blend of caramelised rock sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and Shaoxing wine, then simmered till the pork belly is tender with the sauce blend thickened into a delicious savoury-sweet glaze. Fragrant, succulent, and deeply satiating.

Chinese Drunken Chicken

Drenched in a sweet-savoury mix of chicken stock, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar, salt and wolfberries, the Drunken Chicken is a cold dish best enjoyed on hot, sunny days. It’s also a signature delicacy of Shaoxing city. The chicken is first wrapped and steam-cooked, before soaking it with the brine mixture, then refrigerated overnight. Resulting in a rich taste, as well as a tender, juicy texture. A comforting, soulful chicken treat to pamper your tastebuds!

Shaoxing Goji Chicken

Wolfberries are also known as Goji, and its fruity sweet taste blends especially well with Shaoxing wine’s exquisite aroma. The pairing is most commonly used in Chinese cooking to flavour chicken dishes. Apart from the cold Drunken Chicken above, this marinated quick-braised chicken is another household favourite. Easy to cook, sumptuous and warmly savoury for the whole family, with a slightly sweet, fruity and herbaceous aroma. Check out the full ingredients list and cook it up with our recipe!

Stir-fried Clams with Ginger

Ginger and Shaoxing wine can also dispel the fishy notes of seafood and let their freshness shine. Combined with minced garlic, spring onions, bird’s eye chilli and a dash of salt in this clams bonanza for a refreshing umami taste with an appetizing zest in every bite. Yummy to savour with rice. Grab the easy stir-fry recipe here.

More Chinese Cooking Essentials

Chinese cuisine is great for your home-cook enjoyment, and you actually only need a few pantry essentials, including Shaoxing wine. Come discover the other unique Chinese flavour-makers to enrich your cooking, and check out our delicious collection of Chinese recipes!