Chinese vinegar explained: all types and what they are used for

In a Chinese restaurant, a plate of dumplings is almost always served with a small bottle of dark vinegar. For many people, this is their first introduction to Chinese vinegar, and it is also the best: a gentle acidity that cuts through the richness of the filling and makes everything taste lighter. In our shop in Amsterdam, black vinegar has sat among the soy sauce and oyster sauce for ages, because without vinegar, Chinese cuisine is missing one of its five flavors. These are the same bottles you see in supermarkets in China and Hong Kong, from Heng Shun to Pat Chun. In this guide, you will discover the different types of Chinese vinegar, what each one does, and when to use it. It is part of our Chinese cuisine 101, where you will find all the basics.

What is Chinese vinegar?

Chinese vinegar is vinegar brewed from grains such as sticky rice, rice, wheat, or sorghum, rather than from wine or apples like most European vinegars. As a result, it is often milder and rounder in flavor, with a grainy, sometimes slightly sweet depth that you will not find in Western vinegars.

While we mainly use vinegar to add acidity, Chinese cuisine uses it to balance flavors. A splash of vinegar lightens a rich stew and gives soup a fresh edge. The Chinese word for sweet and sour, tang cu, literally means sugar and vinegar.

The different types of Chinese vinegar

The five types of Chinese vinegar you will encounter most often are Chinkiang vinegar, Shanxi aged vinegar, white rice vinegar, red vinegar, and sweet vinegar. Below you will see what we have in stock, and underneath that you can read what each type does.

Chinkiang vinegar 镇江香醋Mildly sour and malty, the all-rounder for dipping sauces, soup, and stewsZhenjiang vinegar, aged 6 陈醋Fuller and heavier, for those who want to taste the vinegar itself

老陈醋

Shanxi aged vinegarMade from sorghum, dark and robustly sour, the vinegar of Northern China

White rice vinegar 白米醋Clear and fresh, for sweet and sour dishes and pickled vegetablesRed vinegar 红醋Light and fruitily sour, perfect for Cantonese and Hong Kong cuisineSweet vinegar 甜醋Sweet, dark and spicy, for stewingSeasoned black vinegar Lee Kum KeeZhenjiang vinegar with sugar and salt, ready to use as a dipDumpling sauce 饺子醋Ready-made dipping sauce from Heng Shun for jiaozi and wontons

Chinkiang vinegar (Zhenjiang vinegar)

Chinkiang vinegar is a black vinegar from the city of Zhenjiang in Jiangsu province, and Chinkiang is simply the old spelling of the name. It is made from sticky rice, with wheat bran added, and develops its dark colour and malty, slightly sweet flavour through long fermentation and ageing. The acidity is gentle enough to use it pure as a dipping sauce, and that is precisely why this is the bottle you will need most often: with dumplings, in suan la tang, in cold dishes, and in sweet and sour stews from Shanghai. The best-known name is Heng Shun, which we offer as Chinkiang Black Rice Vinegar in a large bottle and as a smaller bottle to try first. For more depth, choose the six-year-aged Zhenjiang vinegar, which has a fuller, heavier flavour and comes into its own in a dipping sauce or over cold noodles.

Shanxi aged vinegar

Shanxi aged vinegar, in Chinese lao chencu, is the great black vinegar of Northern China and is mainly made from sorghum, with barley and peas in the starter. It is darker and more robustly sour than Chinkiang vinegar, with a deep, almost smoky note. We do not currently stock Shanxi vinegar; in recipes, you can easily replace it with Chinkiang vinegar, which is slightly gentler.

White rice vinegar

White rice vinegar is clear, colourless and freshly sour, and you use it when you want acidity without the colour or malty flavour of black vinegar. Think of pickled vegetables, a clear sweet and sour sauce such as in guo bao rou or gu lou yuk, and marinades for cold vegetable dishes. We offer Fu Xing White Rice Vinegar, also in a smaller bottle.

Red vinegar

Red vinegar is a light, bright red vinegar with a gentle, slightly fruity acidity, and it is mainly used in Cantonese and Hong Kong cuisine. Drizzle it over noodle soup, wontons, or use it as a dip with dim sum. Try Mee Chun Red Vinegar, for example.

Sweet vinegar

Sweet vinegar is a dark, sweetened rice vinegar with spices, which you use for stewing rather than dipping. It is a Cantonese speciality: pork trotters, ginger and hard-boiled eggs are stewed together until everything is deep dark brown and sweet and sour. The classic from Hong Kong is Pat Chun Sweetened Vinegar.

Ready-made vinegar-based dipping sauces

If you do not want to mix it yourself, there are also bottles of vinegar that have already been seasoned. Lee Kum Kee Seasoned Rice Vinegar is, despite its name, Zhenjiang vinegar with sugar and salt, and therefore a gentle dip that you can use straight from the bottle (there is also a smaller bottle). And with the Dumpling Sauce from Heng Shun, you have a dipping sauce for jiaozi and wontons ready to go.

Chinese vinegar or Japanese rice vinegar: what is the difference?

Japanese rice vinegar is clear, light and mild in flavour, and therefore closer to Chinese white rice vinegar than to the black vinegar from Zhenjiang. You mainly use it for sushi rice. Pay attention to the label: sushi vinegar, such as Otafuku Sushi Vinegar, has already been seasoned with sugar and salt, while pure rice vinegar, such as Mizkan Rice Vinegar, has not. In a Chinese recipe that calls for black vinegar, Japanese rice vinegar is not a good substitute, because you will miss the colour and malty depth. You will find all Japanese vinegars at Japanese vinegar, mirin and cooking sake.

How to cook with Chinese vinegar

The most important thing to know about cooking with Chinese vinegar is that the timing of when you add it makes the difference. Vinegar that cooks for a long time becomes gentler and blends into the sauce, while vinegar that you add only at the end retains its fresh, sharp edge. That is why you only stir the vinegar into suan la tang after the heat is off, and in tang cu xiao pai, you add half the vinegar at the beginning of the stew and the other half only at the end, so that you can taste both sides.

For a simple dipping sauce for dumplings, mix light soy sauce and Chinkiang vinegar roughly half and half, optionally with a few strands of fresh ginger, a little grated garlic, or a spoonful of chili oil, and which chili oil suits you best you can read in Every Lao Gan Ma Explained. For cold dishes, such as smashed cucumber or cold chicken, it works the same way: vinegar, soy sauce, a pinch of sugar and some sesame oil together form the base, and then you make it as spicy or garlicky as you like. You can read more about the right soy sauce in Soy Sauce 101.

In a wok dish, add a small splash of black vinegar along the side of the hot wok just before serving. The vinegar cooks for a moment and leaves a light, fragrant note, as you can taste in yu xiang qie zi.

Recipes with Chinese vinegar

In these five recipes, Chinese vinegar plays a clear role, from a dipping sauce to a glossy sweet and sour sauce.

JiaoziNorth Chinese dumplings with a dip of soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar and chili oil.Suan la tangThe sour and spicy soup, in which the vinegar is added only at the very end.Tang cu xiao paiShanghainese spareribs, braised until shiny in sugar and black vinegar.Pai huang guaSmashed cucumber with garlic, vinegar and chili oil, ready in ten minutes.Yu xiang qie ziSichuanese eggplant in a sweet and sour sauce made of doubanjiang and Chinkiang vinegar.

Also in kou shui ji and hong you chao shou, Chinkiang vinegar provides the fresh counterpoint to the chili oil.

Which Chinese vinegar should you choose?

Brewed vinegar can usually stay in a cool, dark cupboard after opening, but always check the label, because some flavored vinegars, such as Lee Kum Kee's seasoned rice vinegar, state that you should keep them refrigerated after opening. You can find all the vinegars together in our vinegar collection, and the rest of the Chinese pantry in Chinese sauces and flavorings and on our China page.

Frequently asked questions

Chinese vinegar is one of those bottles you might only buy for dumplings at first, but then you find yourself taking out of the cupboard more and more often, for a soup that could use a little more freshness, a stew that feels too heavy or a small bowl of cucumber on a warm evening. Feel free to start with one bottle, taste how it transforms a dish and then slowly explore the other varieties. And if you are not sure which bottle to get, come in and see us in Amsterdam or ask your question, because we are happy to help you, and in Chinese cuisine 101 you can read how vinegar finds its place in Chinese cuisine together with the other basic ingredients.