is a type of

rice wine Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage fermented and distilled from rice, traditionally consumed in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Rice wine is made by the fermentation of rice starch that has been converted to sugars. Microbes are the so ...

and a common ingredient in Japanese cooking. It is similar to

sake Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indee ...

but with a lower

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

content and higher sugar content. The sugar content is a complex carbohydrate that forms naturally during the

fermentation Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...

process; no sugars are added. The alcohol content is further lowered when the liquid is heated. Three types of mirin are common. The first is ''hon mirin'' (literally: true mirin), which contains about 14% alcohol and is produced by a 40 to 60 day

mashing In brewing and distilling, mashing is the process of combining a mix of ground grains – typically malted barley with supplementary grains such as corn, sorghum, rye, or wheat – known as the "grain bill" with water and then heating the mixtu ...

(

saccharification In chemistry, saccharification is a term for denoting any chemical change wherein a monosaccharide molecule remains intact after becoming unbound from another saccharide. For example, when a carbohydrate is broken into its component sugar molecul ...

) process. The second is ''shio mirin'' (literally: salt mirin), which contains a minimum of 1.5% salt to prevent consumption in order to avoid alcohol tax. The third is ''shin mirin'' (literally: new mirin), or ''mirin-fu chomiryo'' (literally: mirin-like seasoning), which contains less than 1% alcohol, yet retains the same flavor. In the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

, mirin was consumed as ''

amazake is a traditional sweet, low-alcohol or non-alcoholic Japanese drink made from fermented rice. ''Amazake'' dates from the Kofun period, and it is mentioned in the Nihon Shoki. It is part of the family of traditional Japanese foods made usin ...

''. O-toso, traditionally consumed for the Japanese New Year, can be made by soaking a spice mixture in mirin. In the

Kansai The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshu, Honshū. The region includes the Prefectures of Japan, prefectures of Nara Prefecture, Nara, Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayama, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Osaka Prefectur ...

style of cooking, mirin is briefly boiled before use, allowing some alcohol to evaporate. In the Kantō regional style, the mirin is used untreated. Kansai-style boiled mirin is called ''nikiri mirin'' () (literally: thoroughly boiled mirin). Mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine for cooking)

Mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine for cooking)

Mirin adds a bright touch to grilled or broiled fish or erases the fishy smell. A small amount is often used instead of

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

and

soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...

. Its flavor is quite strong. It is sometimes used to accompany

sushi is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is " ...

. November 30 has been designated the day of ''hon-mirin'' by the ''mirin'' industry because in

Japanese wordplay Japanese wordplay relies on the nuances of the Japanese language and Japanese script for humorous effect. Double entendres have a rich history in Japanese entertainment (such as in kakekotoba) due to the language's large number of homographs (d ...

, the date words sound like '11' (, good) and '30' (, ''mirin'').

Uses

Mirin is also an ingredient in other sauces: * ''

Kabayaki is a preparation of fish, especially ''unagi'' eel,, vol. 7,"kabayaki" by describes it as being used principally or almost always for ''unagi'' (「もっぱら鰻」) where the fish is split down the back the Japanese dictionary says ''kaba ...

'' (grilled eel) sauce: mirin,

, fish bone (optional) * ''Nikiri mirin ''sauce: soy sauce,

dashi is a family of stocks used in Japanese cuisine. ''Dashi'' forms the base for miso soup, clear broth soup, noodle broth soup, and many simmering liquids to accentuate the savory flavor known as umami. ''Dashi'' is also mixed into the flour ba ...

, mirin,

, in a ratio of 10:2:1:1 * ''

Sushi is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is " ...

su ''(sushi rice vinaigrette): rice wine vinegar, sugar, ''nikiri mirin'' sauce *

Teriyaki ''Teriyaki'' (kanji: 照り焼き) is a cooking technique used in Japanese cuisine in which foods are broiled or grilled with a glaze of soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Fish – yellowtail, marlin, skipjack tuna, salmon, trout, and ...

sauce

References

{{portal bar, Food Japanese condiments Probiotic foods Rice wine

Uses

See also

References