Good morning! Excited to be sharing my love for rice vinegar with you all! It’s an ingredient we grew up with, and a pantry stable in my kitchen. Rice vinegar is an integral ingredient to Asian cooking, and adds great flavors to many classic recipes, while having very few calories. It’s a vital ingredient in sushi, as it is the hero that seasons sushi rice! However, its uses extend much beyond sushi making. Over the last few weeks, I partnered with NAKANO® Rice Vinegar and shared some easy and tasty Asian recipes on Instagram. Some of these recipes have been enjoyed in our family for decades! NAKANO Rice Vinegar is a not-so-secret ingredient that can be incorporated into your meals in the New Year as a step towards developing healthy eating habits. NAKANO Rice Vinegar contains no more than seven recognizable and real ingredients so everyone can clearly see what goes into creating delicious and light meals. Here are the five recipes that we love making and eating, featuring various NAKANO Rice Vinegar varieties. Click on the image link for the recipe details, and hope to see your recreations of these in your kitchen!
Kung Pao Tofu
Kung Pao is one of the most popular Chinese dishes both in China and abroad. It is very versatile, and can feature plant-based, meat or seafood as the protein option. This recipe uses NAKANO Toasted Sesame Rice Vinegar. If you like adding a drop of sesame oil to your cooking, you will most likely love this vinegar, as it has a hint of aromatic sesame, as well as little pieces of sesame seeds.
This dish has been taking over Instagram lately, and rightly so. It’s picture-perfect (who doesn’t love sushi and a good sandwich all in one!?), and packs some great protein and vegetables. Onigirazu is basically a sushi sandwich, where various filling ingredients are sandwiched between two “patties” of seasoned sushi rice, then wrapped in a sheet of seaweed. In this recipe, NAKANO Natural Rice Vinegar is used to season the cooked rice.
Here is another popular Asian dish that’s been gaining a lot of features on social media. It is spicy, flavorful and aromatic, featuring some delightfully chewy noodles and crunchy peanuts. This recipe uses NAKANO Roasted Garlic Seasoned Rice Vinegar in the sauce, which is so delicious, that you’d want to make extra to keep for noodle cravings later in the week! Serve it with a side of greens – cucumbers are what most Dan Dan Noodles are served with, at home and in Chinese restaurants. Their crunch and cooling property pair very well with these spicy and savory noodles.
As spring is approaching, many of us are craving a good salad. Are you bored of your salad recipes? Try this one, packed full of tender blanched bok choy, fragrant pan-seared oyster mushrooms, chewy and umami-rich seaweed, creamy avocado, crunchy pan-seared tofu, and a probiotic-rich salad dressing made with chopped kimchi and NAKANO Organic Natural Rice Vinegar. Salads will never be boring again!
Looking to switch up from your usual dinner side of pasta, rice or potatoes? Try steamed rice rolls! These delightfully chewy morsels are the perfect blanket for soaking up your favorite sauce/dressing. They are not dissimilar to flat rice noodles used in hor fun, pad see ew and drunken noodles, but come in a roll. You can find them in Asian grocery stores, and they are great for a quick weekday dinner: just pair them with your favorite protein and add a side of vegetables! This recipe features an additively yummy dressing made with NAKANO Seasoned Rice Vinegar, and chili oil.
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