Add description, images, menus and links to your mega menu
A column with no settings can be used as a spacer
Link to your collections, sales and even external links
Add up to five columns
Add description, images, menus and links to your mega menu
A column with no settings can be used as a spacer
Link to your collections, sales and even external links
Add up to five columns
Ninghuafu Handcrafted Shanxi Mature Vinegar, 9 Year
$23
Northern China's Famous Heritage Vinegar
Shanxi mature vinegar is one of the Four Famous Vinegars of China and is the northernmost of the four, making it a favorite for noodles, dumplings and bao in the wheat-dominate North. It is said that no matter the noodle or broth, a Shanxi native will dip into the giant tubs of chili oil and local vinegar at the noodle shop to top off their bowl. It also has an affinity for the North's beef and lamb dishes.
The lead grain of Shanxi mature vinegar is sorghum, with additions of wheat and rice and a daqu, or fermentation starter, of barley and peas. Like others in the famous four, it undergoes completely natural fermentation, enabled by the unique wild yeasts, molds and microbes in its environment—nearly 1,000 kinds of microorganisms. (Talk about terroir!)
All Shanxi vinegar is "mature," or aged, and our top-of-the-line handcrafted Ninghuafu is aged in crocks with nine years of microbial growth. Pay attention to its deep red-brown color, strong fragrance, and the balance of sweet and sour, mellow and intense taste. It has acidity of 6%.
Distinct among the famous four vinegars, Shanxi mature vinegar includes roasted grains, which darken the color and give it a slight tinge of smoke. Researchers also attribute its distinct taste to a higher percentage of daqu starter in the mix than other vinegars have.
Mature vinegar is made from sorghum, bran, barley, rice, peas and other raw materials through a five-step process of steaming, solid-state fermenting, smoking, leaching and aging, with the smoking of the fermented mash imparting a unique aroma. Uniquely, the aging includes "summer sun-drying" and "ice extraction”: The vinegar is exposed to intense sun during the hottest summer days, and in the deep winter, after ice forms, the ice blocks are removed to eliminate water content from the vinegar. Through this process, a crock of new vinegar loses more than half of its water content, resulting in concentrated aroma and flavor.
Shanxi mature vinegar by law must by aged not less than 10 months, the typical length for supermarket brands. All of the superior heritage vinegars we carry have been aged further in clay crocks with years of wild microbial growth in their walls, which is what gives them the unique taste of the local terroir. The longer the crock has been in use, the deeper the flavor. (A vinegar itself aged for nine years runs hundreds of dollars.)
History + Honors
Shanxi province lays claim to the earliest vinegar making in China, dating it to the Western Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-771 BCE), with the brewing production method in place by 1368. Unlike Sichuan, for example, which has only one maker of its famous Baoning vinegar, Shanxi mature vinegar has many authorized makers operating in Taiyuan city, the capital of Shanxi Province.
The Mala Market is the exclusive importer of the premium Ninghuafu brand, which has its own storied history. It was founded in 1377 as the Yiyuanqing vinegar workshop in service to King Ninghua's mansion (fu), but as the vinegar became famous, people always just referred to it as Ninghuafu vinegar, and the name stuck. In fact, people still visit the shop in Taiyuan’s Ninghuafu Hutong to fill up their large containers with vinegar, as they have for centuries.
Ninghuafu Shanxi mature vinegar is a China Time-Honored Brand and its brewing technique is designated National Intangible Cultural Heritage. It also has protected Geographic Indication and can be made only in certain areas of Taiyuan and Jinzhong in Shanxi Province.
Compare To
China’s grain-based vinegars taste quite different from the West’s fruit and wine vinegars, and we don’t recommend a Western vinegar for Chinese dishes.
We carry three of the Four Famous Vinegars of China: Wheat-based Baoning Vinegar is bright and savory, while Zhenjiang Aromatic Vinegar, which is mostly glutinous rice, is fuller and slightly sweet, and sorghum-based Shanxi Mature Vinegar is the most intense.
Chinese recipes in English often call for Zhenjiang, aka Chinkiang, vinegar, since that was the best of what was historically available abroad. But now that other superior regional vinegars are available, it is possible to match the vinegar with the regional cuisine you are cooking. Or you might match the vinegar with the cooking technique, using the bolder vinegars for braises and longer cook times. More pragmatically, you can just choose a favorite, as the premium Chinese vinegars are mostly interchangeable in Chinese cooking when black vinegar is called for.
How To Use It
Shanxi mature vinegar has the strongest flavor profile among the famous four and is particularly recommended for dishes with long cook times, as it can stand up to the heat in braised and steamed dishes.
Seasoning and dipping: Use black vinegar to add tanginess and depth of flavor to dishes like dumplings, noodles and cold appetizers.
Stir-frying: Add black vinegar toward the end of stir-frying to preserve its flavor.
Soups and braises: Use black vinegar in soups or braised dishes to add a sour note. It can help balance the flavors in rich and hearty dishes.
Storage
Chinese black vinegar should be stored in a cool and dry place, away from direct sunlight and heat sources (preferably a closed cupboard or pantry). Ensure the bottle or container is tightly sealed to prevent air from entering and oxidizing the vinegar. Proper sealing helps maintain its flavor and quality.
Naturally brewed vinegars do not expire; dark sediment is normal. No refrigeration is necessary.
A dipping sauce of Shanxi mature vinegar cuts through the fatty richness of the beef in these potstickers from Xi'an, which is in the neighboring province of Shaanxi
Because Shanxi mature vinegar stands up to heat so well, it's ideal in these Sichuan-style sweet-and-sour ribs, added once during the braise and again when reducing the final glaze
