When there is vinegar as an ingredient in a recipe, most often the type is specified because not all vinegars are alike. I only use rice vinegar to make my salad dressings as it is less harsh than white distilled vinegar. For pickling, I use white distilled vinegar.
So, in my pantry there is always Mitsuken rice vinegar (I am particular about the brand of rice vinegar), red wine vinegar, white distilled vinegar, apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar. Most are not interchangeable but have specific uses.
Rice vinegar, with about 4 to 4.3 percent acetic acid, has a light, sweet flavor and is used to make “su” to season sushi rice, namasu or Japanese pickled vegetables. You cannot substitute with other vinegars. Rice vinegar is made from fermented rice or rice wine. The most popular ones locally come from Japan, but it is also made in China, Korea and Vietnam.
Seasoned rice vinegar contains sugar and salt. The Chinese rice vinegar is stronger than Japanese types as the Japanese vinegars are less acidic. Black rice vinegar, called Chinkiang vinegar, is very popular in China and is made with sticky black rice. It has an almost smoky flavor. Red rice vinegar gets its color from red yeast rice that is cultivated with the mold Monascus purpureus,which gives this vinegar a very distinct flavor.
If you don’t have mother of vinegar, or Mycoderma aceti, you can make your own red wine vinegar with this recipe:
Homemade Red Wine Vinegar
Makes: 4 cups
1 cup red wine (great way to use up leftover red wine)
3 cups white vinegar
Combine in a glass bottle or jar, cover and let stand for at least one week.
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White distilled vinegar is not really distilled. It is made through fermentation of distilled alcohol and is between 5 and 8 percent acetic acid.
Apple cider vinegar is made by crushing apples and squeezing out the liquid. Bacteria and yeast are added to start the fermentation process. Many folks take shots of organic apple cider vinegar for healthier skin and to make their hair shinier. Others might drink it daily to lose weight. Two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to 16 ounces of water sipped throughout the day has shown some weight loss benefits. A 2009 study published in Bioscience, Biotechnology and Biochemistry found “subjects who consumed acetic acid for 12 weeks experienced significant declines in body weight, abdominal fat, waist circumference and triglycerides.”
I went to Modena, Italy, to see how balsamic vinegar is made. It is made from a reduction of cooked white Trebbiano grape juice and then aged in large wooden barrels. The very expensive Condimento balsamic vinegars are aged a minimum of 12 years before bottled. They are so luscious and are decadent over ice cream.
Here’s a recipe using a less expensive balsamic vinegar. It gives the dish a nice sweet-sour flavor, one of my favorite types of dishes:
Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar
Serves: 4
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 pound Hamakua Ali’i mushrooms, sliced into 1/4-inch slices (market was out of Hamakua mushrooms, so I used cremini and button)
3 tablespoons flour (I used gluten-free flour)
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled and center shoot removed
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon butter
Remove any fat from the chicken. Season flour with salt and pepper to taste, dredge the thighs in the mixture. Shake off excess flour.
Over medium-high heat, pour the olive oil in a heavy skillet and cook chicken thighs until nicely browned on one side, about three minutes. Add the garlic cloves. Turn the chicken pieces and scatter the mushrooms on top. Cook the chicken and distribute the mushrooms evenly in the pan. Cook for three minutes, add the balsamic vinegar and chicken broth. Add bay leaf and thyme.
Cover and cook over moderately low heat for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces to coat with balsamic vinegar. Transfer chicken to a warm serving platter and cover with foil. Let the sauce and mushrooms cook for about seven minutes. Swirl in butter. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Pour the mushrooms and sauce over the chicken and serve with couscous.
Small bites
• I happened to see a Facebook post that sparked my interest for vinegar. It is a safe way to clean your oven. Place orange peels in a jar of distilled vinegar and let stand for four days. Strain the orange vinegar into a spray bottle. Sprinkle baking soda in your oven and spray with your DIY orange vinegar. The baking soda will foam up and lift all the burnt particles out. It is pretty cool. I have a Wolf range and my grates were in need of scrubbing. I poured baking soda and sprayed with orange vinegar and got it cleaner than I ever was able to before.
New openings
• BIG ISLAND TOP DOGS has been open next to Sweet Thunder Sushi on Lanikaula Street since May 19. If the name sounds familiar, Michael and Robin Mattos have a hot dog cart you might have seen on Sundays at Makuu Market or at special events such as KWXX’s Hoolaulea. Their most popular hot dogs are the Portuguese sausage, Polish, beef and blood sausages, which are served on a variety of Punalu‘u Bakery buns and a good assortment of condiments.
According to Michael, he is constantly searching for a “healthy” hot dog, and only three of his hot dogs currently contain nitrates. He and Robin are working on a healthier menu for the future, such as hydroponic green salads.
Big Island Top Dogs is open 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Sundays, you can find them at Makuu Market unless there is a special event such as Taste of Hilo, which they will participate in Sunday, Oct. 16.
Email me at audreywilson808@gmail.com.
