Jean wrote on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:07:52 -0400:

> Joseph Littleshoes wrote:
>>
>> Jean B. wrote:
>>> blake murphy wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Wed, 3 Jun 2009 09:02:39 -0700 (PDT), wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> ShaoXing rice wine (not cooking wine, no salt added,
>>>>> likely only available if your Asian market can sell wine)
>>>>
>>>> shaoxing without the salt added has been damn hard to find in the
>>>> d.c. area. but as you say, it may be because the
>>>> don't want to fool with getting a beer/wine license.
>>>>
>>>> your pal,
>>>> blake
>>>
>>> Virtually impossible in the Boston area too. I confess that
>>> I now just use sake.
>>>
>> I can get a 25.5 ounce bottle of the red labeled, Chinese
>> Shao Xing rice wine for $1.50. square or round bottle, salt
>> or no salt. Not that i would, but i could, did so once, awful
>> stuff, Sake is so much better for cooking than the Shao Xing 'rice
>> wine'.
>>
>> I am very fond of equal parts, sake, soy sauce & sesame oil
>> as a sauce, marinade & etc. -- Mr. Joseph Littleshoes Esq.
>>
>> Domine, dirige nos.
>> Let the games begin!
>> http://www.dancingmice.net/Karn%20Evil%209.mp3
>>
> In what sort of store do you get it, Joseph? I haven't looked
> for a long time, but did try all the places in Boston's
> Chinatown and that general area at one point. It is easy
> enough to get the salted ((cooking) version, but I never saw
> the unsalted version.

> How different is it from sake? Of course, older books would
> just say one should use sherry, but IMO, that has its own
> distinctive flavor.

There are many types of sherry from extremely light colored and dry Fino
to sweet brown Cream Sherry. I've used the very driest in Chinese and
Japanese cooking for a long time and haven't noticed much difference
from rice "wine". Cream sherry would be much more likely to add an extra
flavor.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not