Mirin, みりん, is a unique ingredient that is mainly used within Japanese cooking that you would seldom use in any other Asian cuisines. Yet, I would say it is one of the three most important ingredients (after soy sauce and cooking rice wine) in Japanese cooking!

• It is made with rice malt and glutinous rice

• It also has alcohol (usually about 14%) in it like cooking rice wine, but has a much higher sugar content

• Hon-Mirin (本みりん) is the most authentic type and widely used. Other other versions could have lower alcohol and/or sugar content.

• Substitute: Mix cooking rice wine with sugar (ratio: cooking rice wine to sugar 3 to 1)