Cooking Rice Wine, 料理酒 (りょうりしゅ), is another main ingredient that is crucial to Japanese cooking! It is made with fermented rice and is often used for tenderizing and taking away the odor in meat and fish.

• Ryorishu (料理酒) is what is usually sold in Japanese supermarkets for cooking. These types cooking rice wine is added with salt in order to make it unfit for drinking. The price is much lower than “sake” as it’s not being sold as liquor.

• Junmai Ryorishu (純米料理酒) means pure rice cooking rice wine, consisting only 100% rice and salt content.

Substitute: If you run out of cooking rice wine, you can simply use water or Chinese rice wine.