Mirin

Japanese Sweet Rice Wine

Mirin (pronounced MEE-rin) is a type of sweet Japanese rice wine, and an essential ingredient in Japanese cuisine.

Mirin is not the same thing as sake, though the two are similar in many respects. As a general rule, true mirin has a lower alcohol content and a higher sugar content than sake (and other rice wines). There are several mirin variations that are commonly available, including some with much lower alcohol content. These are detailed below in ‘types and varieties.’

Other names: Mirim/Milim (미림) (Korean). Note that other words may be attached to the word ‘mirin’ to denote the type or variety. Mirin is 味醂 or みりん in Japanese.


JAPANESE RECIPES

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  • Bacon-wrapped Enoki Mushrooms with a Maple-Sake Glaze - Diversivore.com
    Bacon-Wrapped Enoki Mushrooms with Maple-Sake Glaze
    Bacon and mushrooms with a Japanese flair! Wonderully textural enoki mushrooms, bacon, and a made-from-scratch salty-sweet tare (teriyaki) sauce make these an appetizer or side to remember.
  • Wafu Hambagu - Japanese style hamburger patty with karashi mustard and ponzu shoyu
    Wafu Hambagu
    A wonderfully seasoned and delicious Japanese beef and pork patty accompanied by scratch-made ponzu, daikon oroshi, and a karashi-mustard blended mayo.  You won’t miss the bun one bit.
  • Japanese lemon herb risotto, made with sake in place of white wine and short grain Japanese rice - Diversivore.com
    Japanese Lemon Herb Risotto
    A few simple Japanese twists plus bright taste of lemon, and you get this unforgettable dish.
  • Tenshindon - A Japanese/Chinese crab and shrimp omelette served over rice and topped with a sweet and sour sauce - Diversivore.com
    Tenshindon - Crab Omelette on Rice
    An awesome Japanese recipe with Chinese origins. The recipe makes a generous dish for two people to share. You can easily halve it for a single person, but...
  • Shungiku-no-Goma-ae - Japanese Garland Chrysanthemum salad
    Shungiku no Goma-ae - Chrysanthemum Greens with Sesame Miso Dressing
    Goma-ae is well-known, but more versatile than most realize. Chrysanthemum greens, miso, & tofu make for a delicious departure from the well-known spinach dish.
  • Kitsune Nabe - a Japanese stew or hotpot made with fried tofu, quail eggs, shirataki noodles, shimeji mushrooms, and chrysanthemum greens - Diversivore.com
    Kitsune Nabe - Japanese Stew with Tofu Puffs
    Fried tofu, mushrooms, chrysanthemum greens, quail eggs and shirataki swim in a rich dashi and red miso broth.
  • Ginger and karashi mustard chicken, shown here on a bed of Japanese lemon-herb risotto - Diversivore.com
    Ginger Karashi Chicken
    Tangy, sweet, a little hot – these are packed with flavour and surprisingly healthy. They also show how versatile and easy to love Japanese ingredients can be.
  • Okonomiyaki - Pacific Northwest Variation (with smoked salmon and pickled chanterelles)
    Okonomiyaki - West Coast Style
    A PNW variation on the classic Japanese grilled pancake! Smoked salmon and pickled chanterelle mushrooms put a delicious and distinctive twist on a simple-yet-versatile classic.
  • Oyakodon - Japanese Chicken & Egg Rice Bowl
    Oyakodon
    Japanese chicken and egg with onions, simmered in a sweet dashi sauce, and served over rice. So simple. So good.
  • Preserved sakura (Japanese cherry blossoms) - Diversivore.com
    Preserved Sakura Cherry Blossoms - 桜の塩漬け
    Beautiful, delicate, and mild, these beautiful blossoms can be used to make a variety of Japanese spring treats. Though they take a while to make, most of that time is...
  • Bacon wrapped shimeji mushroom kushiyaki with a homemade tare sauce - Diversivore.com
    Bacon-wrapped Shimeji Mushroom Kushiyaki
    Bacon’s never a bad idea. Especially not when it gets to partner with a fantastic, flavourful, just-sweet-enough Japanese tare (teriyaki) sauce.
  • Dark chocolate mousse with candied kumquats - Diversivore.com
    Dark Chocolate Mousse with Candied Kumquats
    Rich, creamy, chocolaty mousse with sweet, bright candied kumquats. The kumquats can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for a month or more, making this a...
  • Ume Highball - a Whisky & Umeshu cocktail with ginger - Diversivore.com
    Ume Highball
    A refreshing and bold cocktail honouring the Japanese love for the whiskey highball, this variation features whisky, umeshu, soda, and a little ginger.
  • Homemade umeshu made with green apricots
    Umeshu (Japanese 'Plum' Liqueur)
    A wonderful and unique liqueur made with small green (unripe) ume or apricot fruits.  The only hard part is waiting for it! Includes variations for different alcohol bases, including a substitute...
  • Allergy-friendly Chicken Tsukune (Japanese chicken meatball skewers) made without wheat, dairy, or eggs - Diversivore.com
    Allergy-friendly Chicken Meatball Yakitori (Tsukune)
    Tsukune (Japanese chicken meatballs) is a classic yakitori specialty, but like most meatballs, it’s tough to get a great result without breadcrumbs and/or eggs (two very common allergens). Fortunately,...
  • Appetizer portion of beef tataki with ponzu, watermelon radishes, and scallions - Diversivore.com
    Beef Tataki with Ponzu
    When it comes to beef tenderloin, less is more. This is all about balancing powerful flavours and letting the tender, seared fillet shine through.
  • Japanese nettle soup - vegan and gluten free, made with miso - Diversivore.com
    Japanese Nettle Soup
    Nettles are great in soup – there’s no doubt about that. But given their already exotic and unusual status, it’s not uncommon for them to be pigeonholed into one very...
  • Japanese Simmered Cauliflower Leaves with Potatoes - Diversivore.com
    Japanese Simmered Cauliflower Leaves with Potatoes
    Simple, delicious, no-waste food – cauliflower leaves are delicious and quite similar to a number of Asian greens (like bok choy).  Here, they shine in a simple, slightly sweet, simmered...
  • Sweet corn grilled with butter, miso, and shio koji - Diversivore.com
    Miso Grilled Corn (Miso-Yaki Tomorokoshi)
    Corn on the cob get’s the a delicious savoury-salty Japanese upgrade thanks to rich miso-butter, ginger, and an amazing, adaptable secret ingredient.
  • Cucamelon Sunomono (Japanese vinegared noodle salad), made with shirataki noodles and unique, tiny cucamelons (aka mouse melons) - Diversivore.com
    Cucamelon Sunomono
    The world’s cutest fruit/vegetable gets all dressed up in this amazing vegan Japanese sweet-sour salad. One serving is a paltry (and astonishing) 43 calories!
  • Charred Shishito Peppers with Sweet Togarashi Spice - Diversivore.com
    Charred Shishito Peppers with Sweet Togarashi Spice
    Shishito peppers are wildly popular, linguistically confusing, and easy to cook. Here we examine all three of those things in one lovely sweet-and-spicy recipe.
  • A small dish with ponzu shoyu (ponzu sauce) - Diversivore.com
    Best Authentic Ponzu Sauce
    This recipe is the culmination of years of experimentation and some incredible help from a world-class ponzu maker in Osaka, Japan. Good ingredients are fundamental to good ponzu, but...
  • Sable shortbread cookies made with preserved cherry blossoms - Diversivore.com
    Sakura Sabure - Cherry Blossom Shortbread Cookies
    Delicious, airy, lightly almond-flavoured sable shortbread (or サブレー, 'sabure' in Japanese), made with homemade, cured Japanese cherry blossoms. The cookies themselves are very easy to make, while the cherry...
  • Ponzu sauce (ponzu shoyu), made from scratch, with salmon and tuna sashimi and shredded daikon - Diversivore.com
    Ponzu Shoyu (aka Ponzu Sauce) - from Scratch
    Ponzu shoyu (aka ponzu sauce) is a bright, delicious Japanese citrus-based sauce, popularly used as a condiment and a marinade.  It’s also delicious, and shockingly easy to make.
  • Keta Salmon Sushi Stacks with miso kabocha squash, marinated cucumbers, and keta salmon eggs - Diversivore.com
    Keta Salmon Sushi Stacks
    An autumn-inspired modern sushi dish with rich, savoury miso squash, marinated cucumber, and delicious sweet-sake-soy keta (chum) salmon.
  • Mandelo (Cocktail Grapefruit) Zaru Soba - Cold Buckwheat Noodles served with a citrusy Japanese dipping sauce - Diversivore.com
    Mandelo Zaru Soba (Cold Buckwheat Noodles with Cocktail Grapefruit Sauce)
    A simple but delicious cold noodle dish with a unique citrus component, perfect for any time of the year.