In search of Black Chinese Vinegar and Chinese Rice Wine

Umami got the following e-mail which sent him scurrying to his references for an answer.

Dear Umami:  

I am in search of ingredients! I get Savuer Magazine - which I love - and frequently try different recipes. So - my latest one is a recipe for Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup. It calls for black Chinese vinegar, which I have not seen or heard of, and for Chinese rice wine. This is not the same thing as Japanese rice wine is it? Any good suggestions for a market...I'm guessing I need to go downtown, but would not know where to go? Oh - and have you seen or tried that new place on King Street near the new Panda Express?? Looks interesting. Aloha!  Chris

Dear Chris:  For Black Chinese Vinegar, Barbara Tropp's "The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking" says:

There are a variety of terms in Chinese to describe dark vinegar, a vinegar with a distinctive dark color and depth of flavor that is made from a fermented rice base.  A lighter dark vinegar will be called red vinegar (Mandarin:  hoong-tsoo; Cantonese: hong-tso), while a more deeply colored and flavored dark vinegar will be called black vinegar (M: hey-tsoo; C: hut-tso).  The best and most richly flavored of the dark vinegars are known as Chekiang, Chen-Jung, or Chenkong vinegar (M: Jen-jyang-tsoo, C: Chen-goong-tso) all being transliterations of the name of the central coastal province long famous for their production.

Tropp recommends Narcissus brand Black Vinegar, Yongchun Laocu (which means "aged vinegar from Yongchun").  Quick browse of the Web yielded this site:  http://www.nutrisource.com.my/product.php?action=details&pid=498&pcid=32.  It would be fun to take the picture and search the Chinatown markets (which is another way of saying that Umami doesn't know which market would have it).  Could also be mail ordered.

Narcissus brand Black Vinegar, Yongchun Laocu

Or . . . Tropp says that a perfectly good substitute is balsamic vinegar, which is similar in character, but slightly sweeter.  So, Chris, if you use balsamic, use slightly less sugar than the recipe requires.


Chinese Rice Wine (M: Shao-Hsing-jyo; C: Siew-Hing jao) is a staple cooking and wine, brewed from rice and water and generically called "yellow wine" (M: hwang-jyou; C: wong-jao).  Tropp uses Pagoda blue label Shao Hsing Hua Tia Chiew (http://www.nutrisource.com.my/product.php?action=details&pid=111&pcid=31).  The blue label means the alcohol content is 17% . . . "the wine is deep golden-brown in color, rich in aroma, and tastes pleasantly nutty, sweet, and smooth."  Sounds good!

Pagoda blue label Shao Hsing Hua Tia Chiew

If it's unavailable another option is "the staple Taiwan brand that comes in a 21-fluid ounce clear glass bottle with square sides and a black and red Chinese label."  Seriously, that's how she described it.  Or, she says you can use a "decidedly good quality dry sherry with a rich aroma and taste."


Tropp says, "Be certain to avoid using Japanese sake, which is an altogether different taste, mirin, which is sweetened and almost syrupy Japanese cooking wine, anything produced in the West and labeled something like Chinese cooking wine.  These last are invariably pale in color, fragrance and taste, with their only distinction being their price."


Good luck!