What Is Rice Vinegar?
Learn about all the different types and how to use them in your kitchen.
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By Clarissa Wei for Food Network Kitchen
Clarissa Wei is a freelance journalist based in Taipei.
Made with fermented rice, rice vinegar is a condiment ubiquitous across Asia. Sweeter than distilled white vinegar, it adds a mild blanket of acidity to marinades, sauces, and stir-fries. There are a wide variety of different rice vinegars out there in the market, so here’s a guide.
What Is Rice Vinegar?
Rice vinegar is a byproduct of rice wine. After cooked rice is fermented to make wine, that wine is fermented again into acetic acid, or rice vinegar.
Like any type of vinegar, rice vinegar adds a potent zing to anything it’s sprinkled on, but tends to err more on the softer, more saccharine side.
Types of Rice Vinegar
Rice vinegar can be made with white, glutinous, or brown rice. But, while there are dozens of rice vinegar brands to choose from in Asia, the selection in Western grocery stores can be a bit more limited.
Unseasoned Rice Vinegar
Unseasoned rice vinegar is the purest form of rice vinegar out there and doesn’t contain any extra additives or flavors. For most, this is the default rice vinegar in the pantry. It’s great for pickling or sauces.
Seasoned Rice Vinegar
Flavored with a bit of salt and sugar, seasoned rice vinegar is terrific for salad dressings and marinades. This is also the vinegar to use if you’re making sushi rice or want a quick pop of flavor without having to spend too much time in the kitchen.
Black Vinegar
Generally, there are two types of black vinegar: aged and steeped. Aged black vinegar, by way of China, Japan, and Korea, is made in a way very similar to balsamic. The rice vinegar is fashioned from brown rice, aged for at least six months, and, through the Maillard reaction, turns dark brownish and earthy, with strong malt-like undertones.
Steeped black vinegar, which is the default in Taiwan, is made with a plain rice vinegar that’s flavored with a proprietary combination of vegetables and fruit and imparts a delicate hint of sweetness. While they are made differently, the two types can be used interchangeably.
Red Vinegar
Red vinegar is rarer, but can easily be found at your local Chinese grocery store. Made with red yeast rice, it’s significantly less acidic than the aforementioned vinegars and has a delicate, wine-like aroma. It’s specific to Chinese cuisine and is used sparingly. Usually found tableside at restaurants, a couple of drops is usually added to thick, seafood-based soups. It’s also occasionally used to give Chinese-style barbecues a distinct reddish color.
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Difference Between Rice Vinegar and Rice Wine Vinegar
Rice wine vinegar is just another name for rice vinegar; they are the same thing. Note that rice vinegar is distinct from rice wine, which is a different product entirely.
Rice Vinegar Substitutions
Both unseasoned and seasoned rice vinegar can be substituted with apple cider or white vinegar. Black vinegar can be replaced with balsamic, but taste as you go because the flavor profiles are quite different. There is no great substitute for red vinegar because of how unique it is, but because it’s generally less acidic, to replace it in a recipe, simply dilute regular rice vinegar with a bit of water.
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