Have you ever thought that what to do with leftover shochu?
Shochu is very delicious and you can of course enjoy drinking the rest of the liquor, but some of you might be wondering if there is another way to use it other than just drinking…
Here, I would like to introduce 6 genius ways to use leftover shochu.
Please check them out!
1. Use Shochu for Simmered Dishes
It’s highly recommended to stew the meat with shochu so that it can take away the smell of the meat.
The unique flavor of shochu can actually add great accent to the stew, and makes it even more delicious.
About the seasoning for the stew, you can use anything you like, but if you want to make Japanese style, please use soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to make salty-sweet taste.
You can also use various type of meat including pork, beef, and chicken for the stew. Please choose whatever you like.
2. Make Crispy Tempura with Shochu
As you may know, some people use beer for the batter when making British fish and chips. Because alcohol is highly volatile and has a low boiling point, it can boil the batter violently. As a result, the fried dish (fish and chips) become very crispy and nice.
So, shochu which is also alcohol will work just like the beer!
Please try to add shochu instead of water when making tempura batter so that you can get even more crispy delicious tempura at home so easy.
Please refer to the recipe below
8 Ways to Make Tempura Batter (Recipe)
3. Upgrade Dipping Sauce with Shochu
As I mentioned earlier, it’s great way to use shochu as a seasoning for simmered dishes. But if it’s too much hassle to cook like that, you can just add a little shochu to your favorite dipping sauce. It makes the sauce even more flavorful!
In Japan, there is yakiniku sauce that is exclusively for Japanese style barbecue. I think adding shochu to this yakiniku sauce is the best way to feel the upgraded delicious taste. The flavor of shochu matches so well with the strong salty-sweet taste of the sauce.
You can buy it at Japanese or Asian grocery stores.
But, if you can’t find any of it, please refer to the recipe below.
The 6 Best Yakiniku Sauce Substitutes (Recipe)
4. Sterilize Meat and Fish with Shochu
Sometimes the meat or fish have blood when cooking. It’s highly recommended to wash them with shochu at that time. By doing that, you can wash off the blood, remove the odor, and clean well with the bactericidal effect of alcohol.
As you can notice from that shochu can be used in the dipping sauce and stew, you can add the mellow flavor of shochu to the dishes too.
5. Preventing Mold on Food
Alcohol has the effect of preventing the growth of mold.
So, it’s recommended to put container putting a sponge soaked with shochu in the fridge so that it has the effect of making it difficult for mold to grow on the food in the fridge.
Since this method is utilizing the volatility of alcohol, it is important to put it in a closed space to some extent such as fridge.
By the way, be careful not to spill the shochu in the fridge.
6. Use Shochu for Skin Care
Shochu is a natural drink originally made from rice, potatoes, wheat, etc. So, it’s a good material for skin care, actually!
Making original face pack with shochu is highly recommended. It’s super easy, only you need to do is making the pack by soaking cotton in shochu.
If the smell of shochu is too strong for you, it’s better to mix shochu with water or purified water before soaking.
You can expect a tightening and moisturizing effect.
However, it also smells of alcohol, so be careful if you use it in the morning or if your skin is sensitive to alcohol.
Conclusion
How was 6 genius ways to use leftover shochu?
I hope you could find your favorite way to use shochu (^o^)
Please enjoy shochu by not only drinking but also using it in cooking and life hack!
