Douchi, oyster sauce, scallop sauce, rice wine, Huadiao wine... When added during cooking, these seasonings not only enhance the aroma and flavor of the dish but also have a finishing touch effect. However, most people might not be very clear on when to use these seasonings, or be unsure about when it's not appropriate to add them, etc.
Understanding Chinese Culinary Wines
The wines used in Chinese cooking most commonly include cooking wine, rice wine, and Huadiao wine.
Cooking wine, also known as yellow wine, is made with 30% to 50% yellow wine as the base, fermented with some spices and seasonings.
Rice wine, also known as fermented rice or sweet wine, is made from rice (often glutinous rice), fermented with a yeast starter. It has a low alcohol content and a sweet taste.
Huadiao wine is one of the types of Shaoxing wine, a yellow wine that is still fermenting. It is made from the finest glutinous rice and high-quality wheat yeast, mixed with clear lake water, brewed using traditional methods, and then aged for a long time. It has a mellow character, an orange-yellow and clear color, a rich and fragrant aroma, and a sweet, mellow, and full-bodied taste.
Vinegar and Wine Don't Mix
In terms of seasonings, black sesame oil, white sesame oil, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper, black pepper, and other seasonings can all be mixed with culinary wines. However, if vinegar and wine are combined, they will produce a sour taste.
When to Add Wine?
So, when cooking, when should you add the wine?
Actually, different wines have different methods of addition. For example, when making a hot soup, you should add a little Huadiao wine before serving to prevent the alcoholic flavor from evaporating.
When to add wine is entirely a matter of personal preference. For instance, if you prefer your dish to have a rich, mellow aroma of wine, you should add a small amount of wine during the latter half of the cooking process. Conversely, if you don't want the wine flavor to be too strong, you can add a small amount of wine at the beginning of the cooking process. This allows the alcohol enough time to evaporate, leaving only a hint of wine aroma to enhance the flavor.
When adding, you should pour the wine along the edge of the wok to allow the aroma to spread throughout.
The fishy or gamey smell in fish, shrimp, and meat comes from a type of amine substance. These amines are soluble in the alcohol of the wine, and heating them achieves the purpose of removing the odor.