Can you substitute mirin for sake

These can be a surprisingly good source for 'exotic' vegetables and such that are used in Japanese cooking. Is it a widely used ingredient in Japanese cooking?

Is the recipe something that is normally made in Japan? Ingredient substitutions In certain cases, you can make substitutions without a problem. Some acceptable substitutions [This section added on August 15, ] Mirin and sake.

I think more people ask about substitutes for these two ingredients than anything else put together. Both are alcoholic beverages though mirin is never drunk and is only used in cooking. Mirin is stronger and sweeter than sake. Sake can be used as a substitute for mirin with an added pinch of sugar , and vice versa.

If you cannot get a hold of either, you can use sweet sherry or Chinese shiaoxing wine. If you cannot use alcohol for religious or other reasons, even though most of the alcohol will evaporate after cooking, just leave it out - it will affect the flavor, but there's no reasonable non-alcoholic substitute that I can think of. See also: The role of alcohol, onion and garlic in Japanese meat dishes also applies to fish dishes in many cases Vinegar is not a good substitute.

Vinegar makes things sour. I can't believe there are people saying that vinegar is a substitute for sake. Is vinegar a good substitute for wine in a recipe? However, mirin style seasoning often has additives like MSG and sugar, so I'm not a fan of it. If you do leave out mirin from a recipe, you can add a bit of or more sugar to the recipe to compensate for the sweetness at least.

Japanese-style or sushi rice. Keep in mind that 'sushi rice' is a name given by non-Japanese sellers to Japanese style or japonica medium grain rice. Medium-grain Italian rices that are used for risotto, such as vialone and arborio, are acceptable substitutes for Japanese rice; long grain rices including basmati and jasmine rice are not. Dashi stock. Japanese stock is usually made from kombu seaweed, dried bonito flakes katsuobushi , dried fish called niboshi , or a combination of all or two of these.

See basic dashi recipe. You may find it difficult to find these ingredients, or they may be too expensive. Powdered or granular dashi stock is similar to stock cubes, and can be used instead of made-from-scratch dashi; keep in mind that dashi granules are saltier and often contain MSG. See also vegan dashi stock made with dried shiitake mushrooms and kombu seaweed.

If you can't get a hold of any of these, you can use a basic vegetable stock instead - it won't taste that Japanese but it's better than plain water at least! Miso and soy sauce. There are no substitutes for these. As to whether you should stick to Japanese soy sauce or use other kinds - I do believe that Japanese soy sauce tastes quite different from, say, Chinese soy sauce, but your palate may not be able to detect a big difference.

Kikkoman is the most famous Japanese brand, and is available worldwide. Japanese tonkatsu sauce or okonomiyaki sauce, or "bulldog" sauce. Bulldog is the brand name of a popular line of barbeque-type sauces that are used in a lot of dishes, from panfried noodles yakisoba to deep fried pork cutlets tonkatsu , okonomiyaki , takoyaki and more.

If you're in the U. Elsewhere, you can use Worcestershire sauce for the flavor if not the texture. Rice vinegar. White balsamic vinegar is the best substitute, but that's rather more exotic I think than rice vinegar! You can use also use a mild white wine vinegar instead, with a pinch of sugar to mellow it out. Submitted by maki on Comments Dina 7 June, - Permalink. Jude 7 June, - Permalink.

Can you recommend a substitute for kinome? What does it taste like? Cheryl 7 June, - Permalink. Fiona 15 August, - Permalink. For a peppery flavour, try rocket.

Nestor 15 August, - Permalink. Niki 18 August, - Permalink. Hi Maki. Re: vegetables. I think you have given me an idea for a post : Fish cakes - when I get the right kind of fish I'll post a recipe.

Janet 30 August, - Permalink. Thanks for such extensive information. I live in Basel and this is very helpful for me. Sherry is made from grapes, not rice. However the flavour profile of sweet sherry is similar enough to mirin to make it an excellent substitute.

If you only have dry sherry in the house, it could be used. If using dry sherry consider adding sugar in the same ratio as noted above for sake. And mirin is a liquid so at least water will substitute that function. You could also consider adding some sugar or honey in a similar ratio to the sake substitute above.

Mirin is made from glutinous rice, koji rice, and alcohol such as shochu, and made by aging it over time. Due to various sweetness components called oligosaccharides and glucose that are produced in the process of making mirin, it has more complex and flavorful sweetness compared to the simple sweetness of sugar.

By using mirin when cooking, it gives refined sweetness to dishes, and make fish dishes and boiled dishes glossy. To put the difference between mirin and cooking sake simply, mirin is what gives sweetness and shine to dishes , while cooking sake is what makes ingredients soft and takes away the smell of ingredients. Both of them are seasonings that contain alcohol, but the big difference is that mirin is sweet and sugary, and cooking sake has a little salty taste. Although weaker than cooking sake, mirin also has the effect of eliminating odors of ingredients and the effect of soaking in the taste.

Sake is a traditional Japanese beverage made from fermented rice. While delicious to sip with a meal, sake is often used in marinades, sauces, soups, and other recipes to add delicate flavor depth and tenderize meats. However, if you find yourself wanting to make a recipe that calls for sake , but not wanting to run to the store to grab some or have problems finding sake in your local grocery store or Asian market , a fortified white wine, like dry vermouth, will do the trick.