In its many varieties, from sweet Japanese mirin to mild Chinese mijiu and umami-rich Shaoxing wine, rice wine adds depth and balance to many recipes, Asian or otherwise. A splash of rice wine ...

As with every recipe for fried rice, start with cold (or at least room temperature) cooked rice. It doesn’t work with rice hot out of the cooker, which becomes heavy and stodgy when stir-fried.

In a small bowl, stir together rice vinegar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, brown sugar and cornstarch ... stirring until the edges are lightly browned, then stir to cook all sides ...