What Is Red rice vinegar and How Can I Use It?
If red rice vinegar has turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use it with confidence and how to choose it, cook it, store it, what to substitute, and 2 recipes to try it in.
Key Points
- Chinese rice vinegar tinted by red yeast rice, sharp with a slight sweet-salty edge.
- Milder and thinner than black Chinkiang vinegar; brighter than plain white rice vinegar.
- Mainly a table dipping vinegar for dumplings, seafood and hot pot, often with ginger.
- No bottle? Mix plain rice vinegar with a splash of black vinegar, or use plain alone.
What is red rice vinegar?
Red rice vinegar is a Chinese rice vinegar tinted reddish by red yeast rice, with a sharp, slightly sweet and faintly salty flavor. It is milder and thinner than the dark, malty black Chinkiang vinegar, and brighter in color than plain white rice vinegar.
Its main job is at the table, not the stove. Red rice vinegar is the classic dipping vinegar for dumplings and seafood, often with a few slivers of fresh ginger dropped in, the way it works alongside Potstickers, Part 1 of 2.
It also goes into hot pot dipping sauces, as in New Year's Mongolian Hot Pot With Chicken & Shrimp.
If you do not have it, mix plain rice vinegar with a small splash of black vinegar to approximate the color and the rounder edge, or just use plain rice vinegar on its own. For everything else about rice vinegars, see the main rice vinegar page.
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- 红米醋
- British (UK) term
- Red rice vinegar
- en français
- de vinaigre de riz
- en español
- vinagre de arroz rojo
Recipes using red rice vinegar
There are 2 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Potstickers, Part 1 of 2
Homemade potstickers from scratch: hand-rolled dough wrappers filled with pork, napa cabbage, ginger and water chestnut, pan-fried crisp then steamed tender. Served with a soy, chili oil and vinegar dipping sauce.
New Year's Mongolian Hot Pot With Chicken & Shrimp
Very good for celebrating New Year, with the whole families, very ho, if you do like spicy, can add hot chili oil as needed!
