Hey guys, a few notes: 1. The spelling of “Chinkiang” came from an older romanization of Mandarin, while “Zhenjiang” is the modern pinyin system. Generally speaking, pinyin spellings will get a native English speaker closer to the correct pronunciation (you just need to remember that “x” is said like “sh” and “zh” is said like “j”). Another common older spelling that you see quite a bit in the food space is “Szechuan”, which should be pronounced “Sichuan”.
2. Something we realized when I was cutting the video - Steph said that “Zhenjiang might not even be the most common in China”, but then didn’t say what WAS the most common in China. Chencu (Shanxi Mature) is *probably* the most common the country over, but that’s mostly base off of our own experience (don’t have any data on it or anything haha) 3. So there’s an entire world of Chinese vinegars outside of the so-called ‘big four’ - almost every province will have multiple vinegars local to them. We settled on limiting this video to the ‘big four’ because they (1) include Zhenjiang and Chencu, the most common vinegars in China and (2) are the vinegars that tend to be internationally available (with the exception of Yongchun). But just know that the vinegar story *definitely* doesn’t stop there, and if you’re in China it’s definitely a subject worth diving into. That’s all I can think of for now, might edit a couple more in a bit. Again, huge thank you to all of your support and well wishes during our move to Bangkok - it’s been a rough couple months, but we’re happy to be on the other side of it.
Actually neither Szechuan nor Peking is Wade-Giles. Both are kind of nonstandard romanizations that were adopted as the official spelling as part of the postal system until pinyin took over. In Wade-Giles the two places would be Ssu-ch'uan and Pei-ching. Not sure about Chinkiang, though. Maybe these were the spellings in another romanization that wasn't Wade-Giles? Also the use of the letter k suggests to me that it wasn't representing the pronunciation of modern standard Mandarin. A quick Google search suggests Peking is likely from the Nanjing dialect of Mandarin, but it's not entirely clear.
Steph is a true food warrior. After the third sip of straight vinegar, my palate would have been useless for additional comparison. This is a very useful video for those of us who have unstable stocks of various Chinese vinegars at our local Asian market.
@@ghlscitel6714 I wouldn't know! But I do believe you when you say so. It's just that I can actually read the Japanese well enough to see it's gibberish, which I cannot do for the Korean.
Wow, twenty-five seconds in and I've already learned something new! I cannot wait to see the rest of the video. I learn so much from this channel and I thank you both.
In the '80s a Chinese delegation visited Modena, my city, where balsamic vinegar originated from. They fell in love with balsamic vinegar, and with tortellini, our Italian response to porky dumpling. They had a meal at a very famous and traditional restaurant (now defunct, sadly), the "locals" were a bit disconcerted when they added it to tortellini soup, but then again, some people in Italy add wine to tortellini in soup..It was one of the first delegations to come to visit Modena, and my uncle was present as he worked with the mayor of the city...
In Thailand, there is the distilled white vinegar, and there is a thing called "จิ๊กโฉ่ว" (chikchou) which is a "Chinese-style" fermented dark vinegar. According to Thai Wiktionary, the equivalent Chinese characters are 浙醋, which suggest that "จิ๊กโฉ่ว" comes from Zhejiang province. (Most Thai people of Chinese descents use Teochew/Chaozhou dialect of Chinese rather than Mandarin, especially older generations.) In Thai cuisine, "จิ๊กโฉ่ว" is used as a dipping sauce for dumplings or "ขนมจีบ" (khanom chip, lit. pleated snack) and a condiment for fish maw soup. Some Thais say that "จิ๊กโฉ่ว" is a must for these dishes. However, I am apparently in the minority who don't really like vinegars.
Learning Thai right now it's amazing to see similar sounds between Thai and Cantonese. จิ๊กโฉ่ว is basically how 浙醋 sound like in Cantonese, and จีบ is exactly the same as how the same character pronounced in Cantonese. Chris often says that I'm cheating in learning Thai because I speak Cantonese, haha. I also found it very weird when Chris dips his siumai/ขนมจีบ in the red vinegar, who knows that he found his people here in Thailand, haha.
Something I've discovered in my studies of Thai as well is that it's an etymological language, like English, as in the spelling of things reflect their origins (example, "doubt" has the 'b' in there despite its silence to reflect Latin roots and link it to related words like double). Like English, this makes spelling words quite difficult in Thai since it's meant to support words with roots in very different languages, like Pali, Sanskrit, various Chinese dialects, and of course Thai itself. I learned in my linguistics course that that this made Thai a bit of a mystery in terms of language roots since it had so many loan words built into it.
I have found that using Sherry vinegar in Chinese recipes when I am out of Chinkiang or Shanxi seems to be the closest western equivalent. Just like balsamic, Sherry vinegar is aged, but it isn't as sweet or grape tasting as balsamic. Sherry vinegar is a little smokey and you can get some wood flavor from the barrel it was aged in.
Also sherry vinegar differ quite a lot depending on grape cultivar. And imho Pedro Ximenez vinegars are much better, than Palomino Fino for most applications.
I have really got to stop watching your videos when I am in a hotel room, 200 miles from my pantry, wok and sauces collection! You are making me hungry!!! 😁 I guess I will be searching down some dumplings for dinner tomorrow, if for no other reason than to try balsamic as a dumpling dip. Thanks Chris and Steph for another enlightening video and double thanks to Steph for sacrificing your tongue to the vinegar gods! Welcome back!!!
I'm soo excited for this video! Chinese vinegars are some of my favourites...if not my favourite vinegars. I legit LOVE using them in my 3rd culture foods and making new recipes of traditional recipes from what I grew up with from my cultures. Thank you so much for all you do!
i jut looked up third culture foods (definition: the ongoing natural fusion of cuisine that occurs as society becomes more unified) and wow i really resonate with that ! how cool, .thanks !
Immensely useful, thank you! I really love these variety-testing episodes, they help a lot when going to the local Asian market (I live in a Spanish speaking country where things come with a seemingly auto-translated label in minuscule lettering in the back to meet local trade requirements, which is only halfway helpful).
YES!! YES!!! I’ve been saying for yeeeears that malt vinegar and chinkiang have a similar flavour underneath all the acidity. Naturally, everybody I‘ve ever told this to has acted like I’m crazy and “totally unhinged” for shouting in the street at a complete stranger, but I _knew_ I was onto something! I knew!
It seems like when comparing dark vinegars, for cooking they are extremely interchangeable because the differences are mostly subtle changes in acidity or sweetness. That means you can add more sugar to less sweet vinegar or to address acidity, you can put more of the vinegar to increase acidity of the dish.
In my experience, each food product has an individual complexity which adds or detracts from the final product. Your use of adjustments definitely works, however some vinegars add subtle overtones beyond the simple sweet and sour flavors. It's like drinking a 15 year old Redbreast Irish Whiskey vs a rot gut whiskey in it's first year out of the still; both are whiskey, but there is no comparison between them when neat in a tumbler.
@@Bear-cm1vl that makes sense but for most cooking, those subtle overtones are indeed subtle. Usually not a big deal and not a reason to buy a separate dark vinegar for a dish. Unless you are a restaurant. But to your point, there are subtle differences and it’s probably best to buy the one that works best for most if your dishes then make adjustments (more/less sugar or salt or more vinegar for acidity) where needed
@@Bear-cm1vl it depends on what part of the dish they are playing. If they are the star of the show, yes, the different brands do matter. Imagine using Chinese black vinger instead of balsamic in a salad dressing. However, they the vinegar is just part of the seasoning base of the dish, with the meat, vegetables or spices taking the star or the dish, it doesn't matter much.
I would really like you to try balsamic vinegar but the IGP DOP one produced in Modena. Even if I am italian it's so precious and pricey that I never tried it, but they always told me wonders about it and I would really like your "foreigners" objective take about it!
Having lived and worked in China for many years I can verify that many people drink Chen Cu, particularly.the aged varieties 老陈醋，commonly sold as single doses vials (medicinal). Lao Chen Cu and only from Shanxi's capital Taiyuan city, is the only dark vinegar you'll find in our kitchen. It's fermented base of sorghum gives it rich earthy tones.
I missed your dog! Looks like you're in Thailand now. I live in Jiangsu Province and made a trip to nearby Zhenjiang to buy vinegar at the factory. Vinegar wafts in the air through parts of the city. It's amazing the different varieties they have for their famous dark vinegars.
Special thanks for not including any mouth noises (I’m a severe case of misophonia). And special kudos to Steph for her strength through this vinegar marathon ; how dedicated ! And as always, thanks for teaching me so much things
I remember my grandma used sweet potato to make vinegar, which is saurer than normal vinegars. The fist taste doesn’t go well, but if you try several times, you can taste the flavor from 100% natural vegetable.
Great video as always and great to see you guys back! I have a question: How common is this knoledge in china? Would it be something most people would know or is it more of a specialized knowledge, like knowing the differences in a country's wine varieties?
To some extent I would say? Shanxi is much more acidic and has a heavy mouthfeel, Zhenjiang being the standard to me, then the Fujian type is going milder and sweeter. But the subtleness Steph showed is way beyond me!
Thank you so much for this/ I often walk into my favorite Asian market and walk right past so many things I might want to try because I'm don't know what they are or how to use them. This was so helpful!
Great video. I only knew (and bought) the Chinkiang and Shanxi dark vinegars so far. For the white rice vinegar I typically use a vietnamese one, but I don't think they'll differ that much. I think I'll have to try to find the Sichuan one, as I love the fish-fragrant dishes but did them with Chinkiang vinegar as of now. Thank's a lot!
I will have to try some of the other types but I recently bought a bottle of baoning from the mala market and aside from trying some of the recipe I see on this channel I've found it works really well with potato dishes (latkes, fish and chips, pierogi)
Great informative show as always. I commend you for your dedication in tasting all those vinegars. Very brave. I have learnt so much more about your great cuisine and have been inspired to try so many new things since I started watching your channel. In the UK we mainly see only Cantonese food and westernised versions of that. I can now enter Chinese supermarkets with a greater understanding of the ingredients and am really enjoying the more interesting flavours of regional chinese dishes.
Thoroughly enjoyed the video. Made me re visit some vinegars outside of Zhenjiang. Also I have a bottle labeled simply “Black Vinegar” made in Taiwan that tastes very much like Worcestershire.
Thais is incredible. Should have more subscribers! I bought a bottles of one of these vinegars because I saw it at a restaurant and it was great but didn’t really know what to do with it. So I’m going to cook now. Wish me luck! 😄
Shanxi is my favorite. I was introduced to it from my favorite noodle shop and it’s great in noodle soup bowls. I was scoring Amazon for it in the pandemic. Might not be a traditional use (I’m not Chinese) but I made pickles with it and used them over rice bowls. Good luck settling in and happy to see your puppy!
I’m a vinegar lover (just shy of fanatic) and have at least a dozen. Wine, champagne, balsamic, white balsamic, pear balsamic, Chinese,, Japanese, Thai, apple cider, pomegranate, and and and lol. But here’s the interesting bit. I’m in Fall River, MA in the US where we make a unique, dry noodle “chow mein” which is covered in a savory celery and onion broth, often with ground pork or chicken strips added. To which we add white or malt vinegar after preparing. The dry noodle is literally made ONLY here. Not even across the state. Our Lo Mein is like your Chow Mein. I’ll get some history and context if you’re interested?!
Was shopping for hot and sour soup ingredients two weeks ago and got confused between Chinkiang and Zhenjiang vinegars. This video would’ve saved me a good five minutes of scratching my head
You are great at explaining the differences between the vinegar. Balsamic vinegar have good amount of differences depending on quality.High quality balsamic vinegar is great for dipping, I love dipping any bread in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I always buy Zhenjiang vinegar for cooking but it's too watery for dipping.
Thanks for this video review. It was interesting. One point about Balsamic is that is quite different depending on its age which can range from 2-25 years.
As a dumpling dip in a pinch, I mix ABC sweet soy sauce mixed with Balsamic vinegar-obviously more vinegar than sweet soy!- but it’s delcious!- but a lot sweeter than most traditional Chinese dipping sauces🤷♀️👍🏻
At the moment I have Zhenjiang in my culinary speed rack. If I had to describe the flavor to fellow western onlookers who've never had it, picture red wine vinegar with a splash of day old plain black coffee, and touch of amontillado sherry, and that'll be fairly close. It has an interesting flavor profile, but it lacks the midrange body and sweetness of balsamic, so I usually add a dash of homemade dark jaggery syrup, to balance it out. BTW, here's a fun dipping sauce to try, with dumpling or biang biang mian. Shake well: + Black Vinegar + Zarusoba dipping sauce (basically soy sauce w/mirin & dashi powder) + A small dollup of thai sweet red chili sauce + Spoon of sichuan red chili oil, preferrably homemade, with roasted chilies & chopped nuts. + Spoon of dark sesame oil (an emulsifier is optional)
Awesome. What type of balsamic vinegar did you use? Just wondering because the very traditional type is very sweet, and probably isn't that good for dumplings (but the supermarket kind probably is, and I'm also guessing that that's what you could get in Asia)
Definitely, we used the mass produced stuff - Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, Monari Federzoni specifically. While I haven't really poked around Thailand yet, at least in China purchasing traditional Balsamic vinegar would be quite pricey.
Try mixing some Soysauce into balsamic vinegar. It changes the taste, to a Savory flavor, that is completely different and unique. (no longer sweet... and no longer a heavy punch of vinegar)
I love these sorts of videos. I learn so much and there is so much work. As soon as steph took a sip of the distilled vinegar I knew she was not going to like it
As a guy born in Zhengjiang, the “Zhengjiang Ribs” always buffles me because we call it “Wuxi sweet and sour Ribs”, which is named after another city nears by 😅.
I may have gone on a bit of a vinegar buying spree at one point so I have quite a few bottles. I like the longer aged ones but recently getting the really old stuff has been more difficult in Canada. This has inspired me to do a revision of what I have and do some taste testing.
In the past 2-3 years Zhenjiang has been stocked in the biggest supermarkets here in Australia. At least I don't have to stop by the dedicated E/SE Asian stores to refill now!
Glad to see this video! I make my own dumplings often. I've tried to use a variety of Asian black vinegars available at the grocers near me, but in my experience, they tasted better when I used balsamic. I think that in the west its a lot easier to source a high quality balsamic, than an Asian variety. I wish I could try better Asian ones!
Can you make a video about the medicinal herb microbe base? I know that is also used with rice wine, as well as the wheat microbe yeast. Would you be able to make a video about that as well? Very informative video!
Just bought a bottle of Zhenjiang vinegar the other day for the first time to make some Yu Xiang eggplant so this is super interesting. Didn’t realize their were so many other types (makes sense of course).
I love these types of videos! I’m not well versed in Chinese cuisine, so I always just dipped dumplings in sweet and sour sauce. I will definitely skip the “sweet” and go for vinegar next time! And it’s good to know balsamic vinegar works, as I don’t have any Chinese vinegar. As for vinegar that isn’t aged, I’m going to try apple cider and cane vinegar. Those should work! Also, you’re a good sport for trying white distilled vinegar! 😂
Not sure that anything other Zhejiang vinegar is available in my local Chinese supermarkets. Interesting to know that malt vinegar is a good match with dumplings. In fish and chip shops in the UK what you'll usually get is not malt vinegar but rather something called "non brewed condiment" which is just as soullessly industrial as it sounds. Shops buy it in concentrate form and dilute it down. Its chief virtue is cheapness however it has a milder, sweeter taste than malt vinegar and people have come to expect chip 'vinegar' to taste like that. Definitely the antithesis of the carefully made traditional vinegars featured in your video!
I had a friend from Changchun and he used balsamic vinegar and chili oil as a dip for dumplings, since it is so much easier to get than any Chinese aged vinegar.
I have no idea which one I am using but it tastes amazing! All I know is that the brand is Kong Yen and it's made in Taiwan. The label is red and yellow.
@@ChineseCookingDemystified Thanks for letting me know! Although I'm in Canada so I'm not sure if they will ship to us. We do, however, have a lot of Chinese supermarkets so I'll try to look there first. 😄
what you are using as balsamic vinegar is an industrial preparation based on common vinegar, caramel coloring, and various non-controlled or regulated flavorings... as different from a Balsamic DOP as a black chinese vinegar from an industrial apple cider vinegar. ;)
White distilled vinegar is actually a very common dipping for polish or russian style Pelmeni (sometimes even dressing by directly pouring over and mixing) which is also like a dumpling, and i'm willing to bet thats why Chris had you try it
In the UK, I bought whatever said "black vinegar" on the label. Didn't look at the ingredients. Sugar is the third ingredient, after water and rice vinegar. It's also got orange juice, carrot juice and tomato paste in it. Honestly, it smells like mulled wine. I had no idea there was so much variation on "dark vinegar"
I've resorted to using English malt vinegar in place of black vinegar, basing my decision on them both having been made with malt. I will eventually get my hands on black vinegar, however.
Could you do a guide for different chili and/or bean pastes? For some reason I find recipes with chili bean pastes are daunting to me. I never seem to find the right paste from the Asian market.
Omg dont get me started on the so called "chilli bean paste". So many things that are completely different tasting all got boiled down to this ambuigiously translated name which doesn't do any favour. Doubanjiang, Hongyou Douban, Gochujang, Ssamjang. Watch out when a recipe calls for "chilli bean paste", exactly which one they mean. Usually if you go down the aisle of the right country, you are 50% there. If what you want to get is Doubanjiang, don't don't don't ever get the Lee Kum Kee one that stuff is crap ( Lee Kum Kee is cantonese so they don't do Sichuanese stuff well). Try to find one that says "Pixian" Doubanjiang, which is the protected place of origin for it.
I think that I might be a black vinegar snob. I have been getting into smashed quick pickles. I am on the Keto diet and avoid all sugar. My choice is YUHO Organic Black Vinegar Organic from Amazon. I feel like its worth the extra cost. Cleaner ingredients/maximum funky flavor. Love it.
Speaking of dumplings and northern Chinese cuisine, do you have any more northern recipes? I am really interested in recipes from the far north, but there seem to be the same few repeating (dumplings, di san xian etc.) and I would love to try more!
I cant remember when I finally learned what Chinese dark vinegar was, but it was an epiphany finally figuring out what that flavor was in various dumpling sauces I had. I never knew that there were 4 variations.
So if I am understanding correctly, the Yongchun laocu is the only dark chinese vinegar which has gluten free input ingredients? I remember struggling to find a dark vinegar without wheat or barley the last time I needed it, now I understand why! Thank you for this video!!
When I finally got a bottle of Sichuan black vinegar I tried a spoonful right away and thought it tasted most similar to malt vinegar but with a hint yeast extract or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos.
I've never had black vinegar, because I would have to buy it online, so I tried substituting half balsamic and half malt vinegar. I dont know if it tastes like the real stuff, but it was really tasty
I wonder what is the kind we use. My brother bought some to eat with soup dumplings, and i love it so i always buy the same bottle. Cant read the label though.
Yeah, balsamic vinegar is great for dumplings. :) I live in Italy and, even though most chinese restaurants have chinese black vinegars, some just choose balsamic.
Hey guys, a few notes:
1. The spelling of “Chinkiang” came from an older romanization of Mandarin, while “Zhenjiang” is the modern pinyin system. Generally speaking, pinyin spellings will get a native English speaker closer to the correct pronunciation (you just need to remember that “x” is said like “sh” and “zh” is said like “j”). Another common older spelling that you see quite a bit in the food space is “Szechuan”, which should be pronounced “Sichuan”.
2. Something we realized when I was cutting the video - Steph said that “Zhenjiang might not even be the most common in China”, but then didn’t say what WAS the most common in China. Chencu (Shanxi Mature) is *probably* the most common the country over, but that’s mostly base off of our own experience (don’t have any data on it or anything haha)
3. So there’s an entire world of Chinese vinegars outside of the so-called ‘big four’ - almost every province will have multiple vinegars local to them. We settled on limiting this video to the ‘big four’ because they (1) include Zhenjiang and Chencu, the most common vinegars in China and (2) are the vinegars that tend to be internationally available (with the exception of Yongchun). But just know that the vinegar story *definitely* doesn’t stop there, and if you’re in China it’s definitely a subject worth diving into.
That’s all I can think of for now, might edit a couple more in a bit. Again, huge thank you to all of your support and well wishes during our move to Bangkok - it’s been a rough couple months, but we’re happy to be on the other side of it.
Actually neither Szechuan nor Peking is Wade-Giles. Both are kind of nonstandard romanizations that were adopted as the official spelling as part of the postal system until pinyin took over. In Wade-Giles the two places would be Ssu-ch'uan and Pei-ching.
Not sure about Chinkiang, though. Maybe these were the spellings in another romanization that wasn't Wade-Giles? Also the use of the letter k suggests to me that it wasn't representing the pronunciation of modern standard Mandarin. A quick Google search suggests Peking is likely from the Nanjing dialect of Mandarin, but it's not entirely clear.
Thank you for making this video! Very informative! The taste test would have been better had it been blind though
So, what's the deal with that red vinegar you frequently see at dim sum and other Cantonese influenced places?
@@TheViolaBuddy Thanks for the correction - I could've sworn I'd learned those as Wade Giles, but you're obviously 100% correct.
@@Default78334 This is the ninth vinegar in the taste test :)
Steph is a true food warrior. After the third sip of straight vinegar, my palate would have been useless for additional comparison. This is a very useful video for those of us who have unstable stocks of various Chinese vinegars at our local Asian market.
Black vinegar is quite low in acidity so it’s no big deal to sample a bunch.👌
@TGC Doom not only is this spam (seriously, do not click that link, obviously) but the Japanese is gibberish to boot.
@@akuro6470 ... so is the Korean.
@@ghlscitel6714 I wouldn't know! But I do believe you when you say so. It's just that I can actually read the Japanese well enough to see it's gibberish, which I cannot do for the Korean.
Wow, twenty-five seconds in and I've already learned something new! I cannot wait to see the rest of the video. I learn so much from this channel and I thank you both.
In the '80s a Chinese delegation visited Modena, my city, where balsamic vinegar originated from. They fell in love with balsamic vinegar, and with tortellini, our Italian response to porky dumpling. They had a meal at a very famous and traditional restaurant (now defunct, sadly), the "locals" were a bit disconcerted when they added it to tortellini soup, but then again, some people in Italy add wine to tortellini in soup..It was one of the first delegations to come to visit Modena, and my uncle was present as he worked with the mayor of the city...
In Thailand, there is the distilled white vinegar, and there is a thing called "จิ๊กโฉ่ว" (chikchou) which is a "Chinese-style" fermented dark vinegar. According to Thai Wiktionary, the equivalent Chinese characters are 浙醋, which suggest that "จิ๊กโฉ่ว" comes from Zhejiang province. (Most Thai people of Chinese descents use Teochew/Chaozhou dialect of Chinese rather than Mandarin, especially older generations.) In Thai cuisine, "จิ๊กโฉ่ว" is used as a dipping sauce for dumplings or "ขนมจีบ" (khanom chip, lit. pleated snack) and a condiment for fish maw soup. Some Thais say that "จิ๊กโฉ่ว" is a must for these dishes. However, I am apparently in the minority who don't really like vinegars.
Learning Thai right now it's amazing to see similar sounds between Thai and Cantonese. จิ๊กโฉ่ว is basically how 浙醋 sound like in Cantonese, and จีบ is exactly the same as how the same character pronounced in Cantonese. Chris often says that I'm cheating in learning Thai because I speak Cantonese, haha.
I also found it very weird when Chris dips his siumai/ขนมจีบ in the red vinegar, who knows that he found his people here in Thailand, haha.
Something I've discovered in my studies of Thai as well is that it's an etymological language, like English, as in the spelling of things reflect their origins (example, "doubt" has the 'b' in there despite its silence to reflect Latin roots and link it to related words like double). Like English, this makes spelling words quite difficult in Thai since it's meant to support words with roots in very different languages, like Pali, Sanskrit, various Chinese dialects, and of course Thai itself.
I learned in my linguistics course that that this made Thai a bit of a mystery in terms of language roots since it had so many loan words built into it.
I have found that using Sherry vinegar in Chinese recipes when I am out of Chinkiang or Shanxi seems to be the closest western equivalent. Just like balsamic, Sherry vinegar is aged, but it isn't as sweet or grape tasting as balsamic. Sherry vinegar is a little smokey and you can get some wood flavor from the barrel it was aged in.
Sherry vinegar is nothing like black vinegar. Basalmic is closer. Have you hit your head?🙄🤡🤦♂️
@@spanqueluv9er balsamic isn’t even closer either. You hit YOUR head?
@@spanqueluv9er you've clearly never had sherry, balsamic, or black vinegar
Also sherry vinegar differ quite a lot depending on grape cultivar.
And imho Pedro Ximenez vinegars are much better, than Palomino Fino for most applications.
I've *SO MISSED PUPPERS* ... so glad you're all back together again. :) Thanks for the insight on multiple vinegars (and preference).
I have really got to stop watching your videos when I am in a hotel room, 200 miles from my pantry, wok and sauces collection! You are making me hungry!!! 😁
I guess I will be searching down some dumplings for dinner tomorrow, if for no other reason than to try balsamic as a dumpling dip. Thanks Chris and Steph for another enlightening video and double thanks to Steph for sacrificing your tongue to the vinegar gods! Welcome back!!!
Yes, a new esoteric video on something nobody asked for. You guys are the best
I'm soo excited for this video! Chinese vinegars are some of my favourites...if not my favourite vinegars. I legit LOVE using them in my 3rd culture foods and making new recipes of traditional recipes from what I grew up with from my cultures.
Thank you so much for all you do!
i jut looked up third culture foods (definition: the ongoing natural fusion of cuisine that occurs as society becomes more unified) and wow i really resonate with that ! how cool, .thanks !
Immensely useful, thank you! I really love these variety-testing episodes, they help a lot when going to the local Asian market (I live in a Spanish speaking country where things come with a seemingly auto-translated label in minuscule lettering in the back to meet local trade requirements, which is only halfway helpful).
Welcome back, thanks for teaching us about the wide variety of vinegar!
YES!! YES!!! I’ve been saying for yeeeears that malt vinegar and chinkiang have a similar flavour underneath all the acidity.
Naturally, everybody I‘ve ever told this to has acted like I’m crazy and “totally unhinged” for shouting in the street at a complete stranger, but I _knew_ I was onto something! I knew!
It seems like when comparing dark vinegars, for cooking they are extremely interchangeable because the differences are mostly subtle changes in acidity or sweetness. That means you can add more sugar to less sweet vinegar or to address acidity, you can put more of the vinegar to increase acidity of the dish.
In my experience, each food product has an individual complexity which adds or detracts from the final product. Your use of adjustments definitely works, however some vinegars add subtle overtones beyond the simple sweet and sour flavors. It's like drinking a 15 year old Redbreast Irish Whiskey vs a rot gut whiskey in it's first year out of the still; both are whiskey, but there is no comparison between them when neat in a tumbler.
@@Bear-cm1vl that makes sense but for most cooking, those subtle overtones are indeed subtle. Usually not a big deal and not a reason to buy a separate dark vinegar for a dish. Unless you are a restaurant. But to your point, there are subtle differences and it’s probably best to buy the one that works best for most if your dishes then make adjustments (more/less sugar or salt or more vinegar for acidity) where needed
@@Bear-cm1vl it depends on what part of the dish they are playing. If they are the star of the show, yes, the different brands do matter. Imagine using Chinese black vinger instead of balsamic in a salad dressing.
However, they the vinegar is just part of the seasoning base of the dish, with the meat, vegetables or spices taking the star or the dish, it doesn't matter much.
I would really like you to try balsamic vinegar but the IGP DOP one produced in Modena. Even if I am italian it's so precious and pricey that I never tried it, but they always told me wonders about it and I would really like your "foreigners" objective take about it!
What a great explanation of all the vinegars! Hope you are enjoying your travels and feel good about your decision.
Having lived and worked in China for many years I can verify that many people drink Chen Cu, particularly.the aged varieties 老陈醋，commonly sold as single doses vials (medicinal). Lao Chen Cu and only from Shanxi's capital Taiyuan city, is the only dark vinegar you'll find in our kitchen. It's fermented base of sorghum gives it rich earthy tones.
I missed your dog! Looks like you're in Thailand now. I live in Jiangsu Province and made a trip to nearby Zhenjiang to buy vinegar at the factory. Vinegar wafts in the air through parts of the city. It's amazing the different varieties they have for their famous dark vinegars.
Special thanks for not including any mouth noises (I’m a severe case of misophonia). And special kudos to Steph for her strength through this vinegar marathon ; how dedicated !
And as always, thanks for teaching me so much things
I remember my grandma used sweet potato to make vinegar, which is saurer than normal vinegars. The fist taste doesn’t go well, but if you try several times, you can taste the flavor from 100% natural vegetable.
Great video as always and great to see you guys back! I have a question: How common is this knoledge in china? Would it be something most people would know or is it more of a specialized knowledge, like knowing the differences in a country's wine varieties?
To some extent I would say? Shanxi is much more acidic and has a heavy mouthfeel, Zhenjiang being the standard to me, then the Fujian type is going milder and sweeter. But the subtleness Steph showed is way beyond me!
From my own experience, basically everyone who cooks in China know which kind to buy based on their intended use.
Literally one of the best channels on RUclips thanks for all your videos!
Remarkable job keeping a straight face during the vinegar tasting!
I just received my bottle of Shanxi vinegar. I'm glad you mentioned the smoke; I think it has an aroma of caramel. Thanks for sharing the knowledge.
Good Chinese black vinegar nearly reminds me of Worcestershire sauce but not that thick. I LOVE black vinegar.❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so much for this/ I often walk into my favorite Asian market and walk right past so many things I might want to try because I'm don't know what they are or how to use them. This was so helpful!
Great video. I only knew (and bought) the Chinkiang and Shanxi dark vinegars so far. For the white rice vinegar I typically use a vietnamese one, but I don't think they'll differ that much. I think I'll have to try to find the Sichuan one, as I love the fish-fragrant dishes but did them with Chinkiang vinegar as of now. Thank's a lot!
I always enjoy your technical videos. I learn so much. I had to go to look which one I had in my pantry. It was Chinxiang! I love it.
I will have to try some of the other types but I recently bought a bottle of baoning from the mala market and aside from trying some of the recipe I see on this channel I've found it works really well with potato dishes (latkes, fish and chips, pierogi)
Have also used mine as a pierogi dip! Though I think I actually prefer Chinkiang for gong bao chicken.
Great informative show as always. I commend you for your dedication in tasting all those vinegars. Very brave. I have learnt so much more about your great cuisine and have been inspired to try so many new things since I started watching your channel. In the UK we mainly see only Cantonese food and westernised versions of that. I can now enter Chinese supermarkets with a greater understanding of the ingredients and am really enjoying the more interesting flavours of regional chinese dishes.
Welcome back! And this was a really interesting episode, too!
Thoroughly enjoyed the video. Made me re visit some vinegars outside of Zhenjiang. Also I have a bottle labeled simply “Black Vinegar” made in Taiwan that tastes very much like Worcestershire.
I'm just glad to see you are both OK! Worrisome times, these!
Thais is incredible. Should have more subscribers!
I bought a bottles of one of these vinegars because I saw it at a restaurant and it was great but didn’t really know what to do with it. So I’m going to cook now. Wish me luck! 😄
What a fabulous class! You are an excellent teacher.
im obsessed with zhenjiang vinegar and have been since i was a kid... will always drink the remainder leftover from dumpling dipping.
Shanxi is my favorite. I was introduced to it from my favorite noodle shop and it’s great in noodle soup bowls. I was scoring Amazon for it in the pandemic. Might not be a traditional use (I’m not Chinese) but I made pickles with it and used them over rice bowls.
Good luck settling in and happy to see your puppy!
I’m a vinegar lover (just shy of fanatic) and have at least a dozen. Wine, champagne, balsamic, white balsamic, pear balsamic, Chinese,, Japanese, Thai, apple cider, pomegranate, and and and lol. But here’s the interesting bit. I’m in Fall River, MA in the US where we make a unique, dry noodle “chow mein” which is covered in a savory celery and onion broth, often with ground pork or chicken strips added. To which we add white or malt vinegar after preparing. The dry noodle is literally made ONLY here. Not even across the state. Our Lo Mein is like your Chow Mein. I’ll get some history and context if you’re interested?!
Have you made your own? Pineapple vinegar is easy and great.
Would love a video on that vinegar braised chicken!! Sounds delicious
Was shopping for hot and sour soup ingredients two weeks ago and got confused between Chinkiang and Zhenjiang vinegars. This video would’ve saved me a good five minutes of scratching my head
You are great at explaining the differences between the vinegar. Balsamic vinegar have good amount of differences depending on quality.High quality balsamic vinegar is great for dipping, I love dipping any bread in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I always buy Zhenjiang vinegar for cooking but it's too watery for dipping.
Thank you so much for this video, for years I avoided vinegar, and I'm now exploring the world of them, and this helped me pick some out to try! ^^
Just fascinating! I feel as if I just took a college course in vinegar! And so glad to see the pup got a treat.
Thanks for this video review. It was interesting. One point about Balsamic is that is quite different depending on its age which can range from 2-25 years.
As a dumpling dip in a pinch, I mix ABC sweet soy sauce mixed with Balsamic vinegar-obviously more vinegar than sweet soy!- but it’s delcious!- but a lot sweeter than most traditional Chinese dipping sauces🤷♀️👍🏻
excellent video, thanks for the information. Ive been afraid to try Chinese cooking because it seems so complicated but videos like this help a lot!
At the moment I have Zhenjiang in my culinary speed rack. If I had to describe the flavor to fellow western onlookers who've never had it, picture red wine vinegar with a splash of day old plain black coffee, and touch of amontillado sherry, and that'll be fairly close.
It has an interesting flavor profile, but it lacks the midrange body and sweetness of balsamic, so I usually add a dash of homemade dark jaggery syrup, to balance it out.
BTW, here's a fun dipping sauce to try, with dumpling or biang biang mian.
Shake well:
+ Black Vinegar
+ Zarusoba dipping sauce (basically soy sauce w/mirin & dashi powder)
+ A small dollup of thai sweet red chili sauce
+ Spoon of sichuan red chili oil, preferrably homemade, with roasted chilies & chopped nuts.
+ Spoon of dark sesame oil
(an emulsifier is optional)
I am so grateful for all of your work you guys are my single favourite resource!
Awesome. What type of balsamic vinegar did you use? Just wondering because the very traditional type is very sweet, and probably isn't that good for dumplings (but the supermarket kind probably is, and I'm also guessing that that's what you could get in Asia)
Definitely, we used the mass produced stuff - Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, Monari Federzoni specifically. While I haven't really poked around Thailand yet, at least in China purchasing traditional Balsamic vinegar would be quite pricey.
Try mixing some Soysauce into balsamic vinegar. It changes the taste, to a Savory flavor, that is completely different and unique. (no longer sweet... and no longer a heavy punch of vinegar)
honestly depends on the age, the older the balsamic, the sweeter it is as it condenses its sugar
Careful there is balsamic vinegar and a very thick sweet and processed balsamic syrup which has nothing to do with it. If you meant this?
@@katrinlausch3078 by processed you mean balsamic glaze? thats just reduced balsamic vinegar with sugar
I love these sorts of videos. I learn so much and there is so much work. As soon as steph took a sip of the distilled vinegar I knew she was not going to like it
On another note, I enjoyed the two of you as guests on the Milk Street podcast.
this was such a cool video, i learned so much ! I have zhenjiang, i gotta try zhenjiang ribs !
As a guy born in Zhengjiang, the “Zhengjiang Ribs” always buffles me because we call it “Wuxi sweet and sour Ribs”, which is named after another city nears by 😅.
@@zyctc000 thank you for correcting me !
i appreciate knowing the name of it
I may have gone on a bit of a vinegar buying spree at one point so I have quite a few bottles. I like the longer aged ones but recently getting the really old stuff has been more difficult in Canada. This has inspired me to do a revision of what I have and do some taste testing.
In the past 2-3 years Zhenjiang has been stocked in the biggest supermarkets here in Australia. At least I don't have to stop by the dedicated E/SE Asian stores to refill now!
Have you tried lychee vinegar? Seems to be a popular dip here in Hong Kong for dumplings.
Glad to see this video! I make my own dumplings often. I've tried to use a variety of Asian black vinegars available at the grocers near me, but in my experience, they tasted better when I used balsamic. I think that in the west its a lot easier to source a high quality balsamic, than an Asian variety. I wish I could try better Asian ones!
Can you make a video about the medicinal herb microbe base? I know that is also used with rice wine, as well as the wheat microbe yeast. Would you be able to make a video about that as well? Very informative video!
Just bought a bottle of Zhenjiang vinegar the other day for the first time to make some Yu Xiang eggplant so this is super interesting. Didn’t realize their were so many other types (makes sense of course).
Fascinating episode. Steph you’re going above and beyond boundaries drinking all that vinegar ❤️❤️
I love these types of videos! I’m not well versed in Chinese cuisine, so I always just dipped dumplings in sweet and sour sauce. I will definitely skip the “sweet” and go for vinegar next time! And it’s good to know balsamic vinegar works, as I don’t have any Chinese vinegar. As for vinegar that isn’t aged, I’m going to try apple cider and cane vinegar. Those should work! Also, you’re a good sport for trying white distilled vinegar! 😂
Not sure that anything other Zhejiang vinegar is available in my local Chinese supermarkets. Interesting to know that malt vinegar is a good match with dumplings.
In fish and chip shops in the UK what you'll usually get is not malt vinegar but rather something called "non brewed condiment" which is just as soullessly industrial as it sounds. Shops buy it in concentrate form and dilute it down. Its chief virtue is cheapness however it has a milder, sweeter taste than malt vinegar and people have come to expect chip 'vinegar' to taste like that. Definitely the antithesis of the carefully made traditional vinegars featured in your video!
I had a friend from Changchun and he used balsamic vinegar and chili oil as a dip for dumplings, since it is so much easier to get than any Chinese aged vinegar.
white vinegar is used sometimes in east europe to season fried dumplings, it works very well
Thank you for this. It will help guide me in my next shopping trip!
I love this channel! I love your dog! I love all the information. I love Chinese food eternally!
I have no idea which one I am using but it tastes amazing! All I know is that the brand is Kong Yen and it's made in Taiwan. The label is red and yellow.
Doggy's back!!! 😍😍😍 Thank you for this insightful video on the different black vinegar. I'm now going to try to find that Baoning one.
Mala market seems to carry it. ( out of stock right now unfortunately)
@@ChineseCookingDemystified Thanks for letting me know! Although I'm in Canada so I'm not sure if they will ship to us. We do, however, have a lot of Chinese supermarkets so I'll try to look there first. 😄
For my tastes, the Shanxi vinegar is my favourite, I love the smokiness.
what you are using as balsamic vinegar is an industrial preparation based on common vinegar, caramel coloring, and various non-controlled or regulated flavorings... as different from a Balsamic DOP as a black chinese vinegar from an industrial apple cider vinegar. ;)
Thank you, thank you, thank you for *not* having an ASMR chewing sound segment at the end when doing the taste testing.
White distilled vinegar is actually a very common dipping for polish or russian style Pelmeni (sometimes even dressing by directly pouring over and mixing) which is also like a dumpling, and i'm willing to bet thats why Chris had you try it
It's not _like_ a dumpling. It _is_ a dumpling!
@@WanderTheNomad fair enough, i wasnt 100% confident since im not a culinary linguist and tried to play it safe
I make siberian bear pelmini when I am given bear meat. But I never knew this! They are so good by themselves we never wanted a dipping sauce 😊
HELL YEAH YOU GUYS ARE BACK WOOOOO!!!!
In the UK, I bought whatever said "black vinegar" on the label. Didn't look at the ingredients. Sugar is the third ingredient, after water and rice vinegar. It's also got orange juice, carrot juice and tomato paste in it. Honestly, it smells like mulled wine.
I had no idea there was so much variation on "dark vinegar"
I bought the same thing once. As far as I can tell, it's like Chinkiang vinegar but with a ton of sugar dumped in.
There are a lot of people fighting over whether it should involve peas or soybeans
Seems like you got #10 maybe
Fantastic Information as always!!! Congrats on the move!!!
I've resorted to using English malt vinegar in place of black vinegar, basing my decision on them both having been made with malt. I will eventually get my hands on black vinegar, however.
I love ShanXi vinegar! ( I lived in Taiyuan for three years)
Excellent informative video. I learned a lot.
Love black Chinese vinegar
wow your new place looks nice!! Like the green 👍
Thank you for this, the vinegar selections at our local Asian grocery is over whelming.
One of my favorite ingredients i buy mine by the 5 litre bottle. Hi to all hope you're finding your new location good
Could you do a guide for different chili and/or bean pastes? For some reason I find recipes with chili bean pastes are daunting to me. I never seem to find the right paste from the Asian market.
I love korean Gochuyang , middle hot . Its fermented soybeanpaste with Gochugaru the typical korean chilliflakes. Its amazing
Omg dont get me started on the so called "chilli bean paste". So many things that are completely different tasting all got boiled down to this ambuigiously translated name which doesn't do any favour.
Doubanjiang, Hongyou Douban, Gochujang, Ssamjang. Watch out when a recipe calls for "chilli bean paste", exactly which one they mean. Usually if you go down the aisle of the right country, you are 50% there. If what you want to get is Doubanjiang, don't don't don't ever get the Lee Kum Kee one that stuff is crap ( Lee Kum Kee is cantonese so they don't do Sichuanese stuff well). Try to find one that says "Pixian" Doubanjiang, which is the protected place of origin for it.
Tbh Zhenjiang vinegar is actually really good as a substitute for balsamic, mixed with a good olive oil as bread dipping
I think that I might be a black vinegar snob. I have been getting into smashed quick pickles. I am on the Keto diet and avoid all sugar. My choice is YUHO Organic Black Vinegar Organic from Amazon. I feel like its worth the extra cost. Cleaner ingredients/maximum funky flavor. Love it.
Steph was such a good sport sipping that white distilled cleaning product. I hope she made Chris sleep on the couch for insisting on that one. 🤣
Speaking of dumplings and northern Chinese cuisine, do you have any more northern recipes? I am really interested in recipes from the far north, but there seem to be the same few repeating (dumplings, di san xian etc.) and I would love to try more!
I cant remember when I finally learned what Chinese dark vinegar was, but it was an epiphany finally figuring out what that flavor was in various dumpling sauces I had. I never knew that there were 4 variations.
There are more variations in China. She only mentioned 4.
So if I am understanding correctly, the Yongchun laocu is the only dark chinese vinegar which has gluten free input ingredients?
I remember struggling to find a dark vinegar without wheat or barley the last time I needed it, now I understand why! Thank you for this video!!
When I finally got a bottle of Sichuan black vinegar I tried a spoonful right away and thought it tasted most similar to malt vinegar but with a hint yeast extract or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos.
I've never had black vinegar, because I would have to buy it online, so I tried substituting half balsamic and half malt vinegar. I dont know if it tastes like the real stuff, but it was really tasty
this makes me think of pelmeni with white vinegar (if I am not mistaken), tho there is the sour cream as well
I wonder what is the kind we use. My brother bought some to eat with soup dumplings, and i love it so i always buy the same bottle. Cant read the label though.
I'll have to check this (one of these) vinegar out at the best local Asian market
That last Cantonese vinegar sounds similar in composition to “balsamic” that is quickly mass-produced outside of Emiglia-Romagna.
Can one taste the black sesame in the Yongchun Vinegar? It sounds so good!!!
I once used A1 steak sauce as sub for dumplings, works surprising well .
I learned something new today!
plz make a video how to make rice vinegar.
Thanks guys! I eat 陈醋 with 油泼辣子面 (as you can imagine it’s fantastic).
Yeah, balsamic vinegar is great for dumplings. :) I live in Italy and, even though most chinese restaurants have chinese black vinegars, some just choose balsamic.