Pantry
Korean rice wine
미림
Also called mirim, mirin, cheongju, cooking rice wine, 맛술
What it is
Sweet cooking rice wine used to round marinades and lift meat smell.
Origin
East Asia. Korean mirim is the usual grocery bottle.
Flavour
Sweet, faintly fermented.
How to use it
A splash in bulgogi, galbi and stews. Not a drinking cup.
Storage
Pantry, then fridge after opening.
Can you recognise Korean rice wine?
Ingredient challengeQuestions about Korean rice wine
From this ingredient's notes in the catalogue — not a chatbot.
What is Korean rice wine?
Sweet cooking rice wine used to round marinades and lift meat smell.
How do I use Korean rice wine?
A splash in bulgogi, galbi and stews. Not a drinking cup.
How do I store Korean rice wine?
Pantry, then fridge after opening.
What does it taste like?
Sweet, faintly fermented.
What can replace Korean rice wine?
dry sherry or a pinch of sugar (medium for Korean marinades). Mirin or Korean mirim is the usual bottle. A splash of dry sherry plus a pinch of sugar is the next best.
Nutrition
Per 100g · estimate · USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables. Values are typical, not lab tests of your shopping bag.
Recipes using it
Yangnyeom chicken
양념치킨
Twice-fried Korean chicken in a sticky sweet-chilli glaze — the reason 'chimaek' became a word.
1 hrMedium🌶️🌶️
Dakgangjeong
닭강정
Bite-size fried chicken in a sweet-soy-chilli glaze — snack-bar energy, not a whole bird.
45 minMedium🌶️🌶️
Bulgogi
불고기
Thin beef in a soy-pear-sesame marinade, cooked hot until the edges caramelise.
1 hrEasyNo chilli
Galbi
갈비
Soy-sesame marinated beef short ribs, grilled until the bones get sticky and the edges char.
2 hr 40 minMediumNo chilli
Jeyuk bokkeum
제육볶음
Spicy stir-fried pork with gochujang and gochugaru — weeknight heat with rice that you will need.
47 minEasy🌶️🌶️🌶️
Dakgalbi
닭갈비
Spicy stir-fried chicken with rice cakes, cabbage and sweet potato — Chuncheon's table-grill export.
50 minMedium🌶️🌶️🌶️
Andong jjimdak
안동찜닭
Soy-braised chicken with glass noodles, potato and a lot of vegetables — Andong's sweet-savoury party pot.
1 hrMedium🌶️
Yakitori
焼き鳥
Chicken on a stick, salted or lacquered in tare, cooked hot — a bar snack that is also dinner.
35 minEasyNo chilli
Oyakodon
親子丼
Chicken and egg on rice — the parent-and-child bowl, simmered in one pan until the egg is just set.
25 minEasyNo chilli
Gyudon
牛丼
Thin beef and onion simmered in a sweet-soy broth, slid over rice — the chain-restaurant bowl you can make better at home.
22 minEasyNo chilli
Nikujaga
肉じゃが
Meat and potatoes simmered in soy and dashi until the house smells like someone is home.
45 minEasyNo chilli
Zaru soba
ざるそば
Cold buckwheat noodles on a bamboo tray, dipped in a smoky-soy tsuyu — summer lunch that should taste of the grain.
18 minEasyNo chilli
Ebi tempura
海老天ぷら
Prawns in a cold, thin batter, fried so the shell is lace — tempura as a technique, not a thick breadcrumb.
35 minMediumNo chilli
Shogayaki
生姜焼き
Thin pork in a ginger-soy glaze — the teishoku plate that is weeknight dinner in a lot of Japanese houses.
20 minEasyNo chilli
Agedashi tofu
揚げ出し豆腐
Lightly fried tofu in a hot dashi-soy broth — crisp for a minute, then silky, which is the point.
25 minEasyNo chilli
Kitsune udon
きつねうどん
Fat wheat noodles in a hot dashi broth with a sweet fried-tofu pillow — the fox's favourite bowl.
25 minEasyNo chilli
Stir-fried greens
清炒青菜
The mandatory vegetable — garlic, oil, a splash of rice wine, greens that still taste green.
13 minVery easyNo chilli