The sheer variety of wines in the world is immense, such as wine, whiskey, vodka, and our country’s baijiu, each with its unique flavor and characteristics. Today, let’s chat about ‘liaju’ (cooking wine), which is a ‘wine’ but cannot be drunk directly.

‘Liaju’ is a unique entity in the wine world. It is wine, but cannot be drunk directly, and its primary use is for cooking. Chinese people have a very long history of using liaju, along with yellow wine, white wine, and modern beer, in cooking, and when compared to Western countries’ use of wine as cooking wine, it’s clear that yellow wine is the most suitable for use as cooking wine.

Modern high-quality liaju are primarily made with yellow wine, but there are so many varieties that it’s hard to know which one to choose. To maximize the value of liaju in food, you first need to learn how to select quality liaju from the many varieties, and then how to use it correctly.

How to select liaju?

Selecting liaju is simple, just choose ‘’ (brewed cooking wine) or ‘’ (aged cooking wine’). How do we differentiate them? It’s very simple – just look at the ingredient list.

When you receive a bottle of liaju, if the main ingredients in the ingredient list are water, rice, glutinous rice, salt, and spices, it’s ‘’, which is of good quality.

If the ingredient list indicates 5-year-aged yellow wine (water, rice, wheat), salt, and spices, it’s generally ‘’, which typically costs more than 10 yuan. This type of liaju is even better.

Others, if the ingredient list indicates water, alcohol, yellow wine, MSG, flavor enhancer, caramel color, etc., are ‘’ (prepared cooking wine). Yellow wine accounts for only a small proportion of these liaju, and they are cheaper. You can choose them based on your needs.

How to use liaju correctly?

Using liaju is not as simple as pouring it directly into the pot. There are a few small tricks, otherwise the food will not be perfect.

1. When making dumpling or baozi fillings, do not use liaju. The principle of liaju removing the fishy smell is that alcohol dissolves and evaporates the fishy substances in meat. Some people like to add liaju to the meat filling of dumplings and baozi to remove the fishy smell, which is incorrect. The alcohol will be sealed, and it will not be able to fully volatilize when heated, leading to a strange taste in the dumplings and baozi. It's unnecessary to add liaju; (onion and ginger water) and (Sichuan peppercorn water) are good alternatives.

2. When stir-frying, add liaju when the temperature of the pot is highest. As mentioned before, liaju removes the fishy smell by dissolving and volatilizing alcohol. Therefore, when adding liaju to the pot, you must wait until the temperature of the pot is the highest before adding it, so that the alcohol can quickly volatilize and achieve the effect of removing the fishy smell.

3. When stir-frying, do not pour liaju onto the ingredients. When pouring liaju, you must not pour it directly onto the ingredients, as this will impart the flavor of liaju to the ingredients, affecting the appetite. The correct method is to pour it along the pot edge.

4. When stir-frying green vegetables, you can add a few drops of liaju. The main function of liaju is to remove the fishy smell and enrich the flavor. Sometimes, adding a few drops of liaju when stir-frying green vegetables can make the green vegetables taste great, but it is recommended to use high-quality liaju or yellow wine.

5. When stewing meat, it is recommended to use yellow wine instead of liaju, which will make the stewed meat smell more fragrant. But if you want to marinate meat and fish, liaju is sufficient.

Summary

To make food close to perfect, you first need to select good ingredients and seasonings, and then cook the dish correctly. Liaju is no exception. Liaju should be chosen as ‘’ to use, and the main distinction method is to look at the ingredient list. Correct use is also very important, such as not adding liaju when making fillings, and there are specific timing when adding liaju when stir-frying. You can see it from the above.

I’m Xiao Lin from Xiao Lin Kitchen. Thank you for reading. If you like it, you can collect, share and praise.