vinegar (cider vinegar, rice vinegar) Vinegar is a common ingredient in Chinese and Japanese cooking; in Thai cuisine, its place is more often taken by lime juice. We use both rice vinegar and cider vinegar in Chinese recipes; the cider vinegar has a more robust flavor, so it goes into strong-tasting or spicy dishes. (Chinese groceries also sell a wide range of dark vinegars; these are not called for in this book.) Rice vinegar is used in Japanese recipes, most notably perhaps as part of the flavoring for sushi rice, and also in salads. Japanese rice vinegar has 4 to 5 percent acidity and is made by fermenting rice wine. We usually use Marukan or Mitsukan brand, available at Japanese and Korean shops and at some natural foods stores. Be sure to buy an unseasoned vinegar; seasoned rice vinegar is made for flavoring sushi rice and contains sugar. We also enjoy a wonderful Japanese brown rice vinegar (genmai su) made by Koyo that can be substituted for cider vinegar and also used in salads. If you donβt have any rice vinegar, you can substitute cider vinegar for it, by diluting two parts vinegar in one part water.
