I was shopping online for a few cooking ingredients and among other items, I bought what was advertised as Korean mirin. However, once I've got the bottle in my hands I noticed it's labelled as "Marinade with Ginger (Cooking Sauce)" in English rather than a cooking wine. Some googling and handwritten translation told me that the bottle's contents are actually mijak. Are mirin and mijak the same thing? Can they be used interchangeably?
1 Answer
No. Mirin is a sweet saki for cooking, with a very neutral flavour. Mijak is a ginger flavored wine. If you are cooking a dish that calls for mirin and ginger, you can skate by using mijak. Otherwise, no.