Shaoxing rice wine (also known simply as Chinese rice wine) is used for cooking. It is an amber colored wine made from fermented rice and millet. Shaoxing rice wine is commonly aged for 10 or more years and it resembles the taste of dry sherry (many Western cooks use dry sherry as a substitute, but if you can track down real Shaoxing it has superior flavor in Chinese cooking). It is used in a wide variety of sauces and can also be used in marinades and dipping sauces.

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