Yuki Gomi, chef, teacher and friend of The Wasabi Company, talks us through why sake is ideal for steaming seafood. See more from Yuki at Japanese Food. Simply. All photos by Keiko Oikawa.
Rice vinegar. One of those ingredients a lot of people already have, but don’t think too much about.
Do you have that one bottle from a trusted brand that you always buy, keep in the same place in the kitchen, and never really question?
It ends up in dressings, splashed into sauces, or used for quick pickles, but often as a background ingredient rather than something you choose with intent. I find however, that it makes a much bigger difference than people expect. Change the rice vinegar, and the whole dish can shift with it.
It becomes obvious with a dish like a simple cucumber tsukemono. A dish that comes together really very quickly. Slice a cucumber, salt it, squeeze out the water, then mix it with vinegar, soy sauce, and a bit of sugar. That’s it. Crisp, slightly sweet, a little savoury, and just sharp enough to lift everything. It’s sits alongside a meal and makes everything else taste better. It’s so simple, I’m a bit embarrassed to call it a recipe!
In Japan, tsukemono are part of everyday eating. They’re not treated as a main dish, but they’re almost always there in some form. A small bowl on the side, something to cut through richer food, refresh your palate, and keep things balanced. They can be made over days or months, but just as often they’re quick, simple, and made at home with whatever is available, or in season.
Rice vinegar plays a central role in that. It’s made by fermenting rice or sake lees. A two-step process: fermenting rice or lees into sake, then using acetic acid bacteria to convert the alcohol into acetic acid. Compared to many Western vinegars, Japanese rice vinagar is usually milder, less harsh, and often slightly sweet. That softer acidity is what makes it so versatile. It doesn’t dominate a dish.
But not all rice vinegars are the same.
These days most supermarkets carry a standard, everyday Japanese rice vinegar, which is great news. These are usually light, clean, and easy to use. They work well in dressings, pickles, and general cooking. But then, there are more traditional or premium versions to be found, which can be aged or made using slower fermentation methods. These tend to have more depth, a rounder flavour, and sometimes a slightly richer colour.
You’ll also come across seasoned rice vinegar, which already has sugar and salt added. This is often used for sushi rice, and it’s useful, but it behaves differently. For recipes like this, it’s better to use unseasoned rice vinegar so you can control the balance yourself.
One of the easiest ways to get a feel for rice vinegar is simply to try a few different types and see how they behave. You don’t need to change anything else, just swap the vinegar. A quick cucumber tsukemono like the one below is perfect for this. Make a batch, taste it, then try it again with a different bottle. You’ll start to notice small but important differences, some sharper, some softer, some with a bit more depth or sweetness. It’s a simple way to train your palate and recognise the wonderful varied flavour profiles in this single ingredient.
In Japan, vinegar tasting is taken seriously in much the same way as sake or soy sauce. In established vinegar breweries across regions such as Kagoshima, Kyoto and Ishikawa, the people responsible for tasting are sometimes called vinegar sommeliers, although more traditionally they are known as kurozu artisans, kurozu masters, or fermentation tasters depending on the producer. These are often long-standing family-run breweries where knowledge is passed down and refined over generations, particularly in kurozu or black vinegar production.
Tasters evaluate batches as they develop, focusing on acidity, aroma, sweetness, colour and overall balance, with an emphasis on roundness and integration rather than sharpness.
Over time, you’ll also get a sense of which vinegar suits which kind of dish. Lighter, cleaner rice vinegars work well for quick pickles, salads and delicate flavours, while deeper or aged ones can stand up to richer ingredients and add more character to dressings and marinades. There isn’t a single “best” option, it’s more about matching the vinegar to what you’re making.
If you treat rice vinegar as a simple sour ingredient, it is easy to overlook how much it can do. Try a few different bottles, though, and you start to notice the differences. Acidity, sweetness, depth and aroma can vary more than you might expect, and each one behaves slightly differently in a dish. That’s where it starts to get interesting.
Below is a guide to six rice vinegars I use in different ways. A big thank you to The Wasabi Company, who stock several of my favourites and have also introduced me to some excellent traditional producers. All of these are available to order via the links below, making it easy to try a few side by side and see what suits your cooking best.
Red Shiso Rice Vinegar
Made with red shiso leaves, this vinegar has a light acidity with a distinctive herbal, slightly floral note and a gentle pink colour. It’s beautiful and a real favourite of mine. It brings a fresh brightness to dishes and works especially well with vegetables, salads and seafood. I like using it for quick pickles like the cucumber tsukemono recipe, when I want something a bit more fragrant and visually striking.
Red Sake Kasu Vinegar, 3 Year Aged
Made from sake lees and aged for three years, this vinegar is deeper and more rounded than most. It has a rich aroma, a mellow acidity and a slight sweetness that comes from the fermentation process. This is one to use when you want more depth, in dressings, marinades or more robust pickles. It adds a noticeable complexity without being harsh.
Jun Komezu, Pure Rice Vinegar
A classic, straightforward rice vinegar made purely from rice. Clean, balanced and versatile, this is a very good everyday option. It has a gentle acidity and a subtle sweetness that works across a wide range of dishes. If you are starting out or want something reliable for pickles, dressings and general cooking, this is the one to reach for.
Organic Brown Rice Vinegar
Made from whole brown rice, this vinegar has a fuller body and slightly nuttier flavour compared to standard rice vinegar. The acidity is still mild, but there is more depth and a rounded finish. It works particularly well in heartier dishes, with roasted vegetables, grains or richer dressings where you want something with a bit more presence.
Kumano No Su Rice Vinegar with Mirin
This is a seasoned vinegar that includes mirin, giving it a gentle sweetness and a smooth, rounded flavour. It’s very easy to use and well suited to quick dressings and pickles without needing much adjustment. I find it especially useful when I want something balanced straight away, as it already has that combination of acidity and sweetness built in.
Sudachi Kombu Ponzu Sauce
Not a pure rice vinegar, but a citrus-based ponzu that combines sudachi juice, vinegar and kombu. It has a bright, sharp acidity with a layer of umami from the seaweed. This works more as a finishing sauce than a base ingredient. It’s excellent for dipping, drizzling over vegetables or tofu, or using in place of vinegar when you want something more complex and aromatic.
This idea of balance runs through a lot of Japanese cooking. It’s not about strong flavours competing with each other, but about getting them to sit well together. Vinegar plays a big part in that. It can lighten something salty, cut through richness, or bring structure to something sweet.
You can see it clearly in this simple combination. Soy sauce adds depth, sugar softens the edges, and the vinegar brings everything into balance so it doesn’t feel heavy or flat.
Texture matters just as much. With tsukemono, the crunch is important. Salting the cucumber draws out excess water, which helps concentrate the flavour and keeps the texture firm. If you skip that step, the result is softer and more diluted. Squeezing the cucumber well before adding the dressing makes a big difference. It’s a small detail, but it’s what gives the final dish that crisp, clean bite.
Rice vinegar is also one of those ingredients that becomes more useful the more you use it. Once you get used to it, you start adding it to things almost without thinking. A splash into a salad, a quick pickle for something grilled, a way to lift leftovers. It’s simple, but it works as a great way to enjoy the different flavours and varieties.
View the recipe for Cucumber Tsukemono here
© Yuki's Kitchen Ltd. 2021
This article was originally published on Japanese Food. Simply. by chef and teacher Yuki Gomi.
Yuki blends traditional and modern techniques to make Japanese cooking approachable and delicious.
