Yokoi, 3-Year Aged, Black Vinegar, 500ml
Three years of ageing turns brown rice and wheat into a dark, mellow vinegar that rounds out a sauce instead of sharpening it.
Yokoi Ma-Kurozu (真黒酢) is a Japanese black vinegar from Yokoi Vinegar Brewing in Tokyo, made from brown rice and wheat and aged for three years. The long maturation darkens it to a deep amber-brown and softens the acidity, so it tastes rich, rounded and faintly sweet rather than sharp. Use it where you want acidity with depth: in braises, glazes, dressings and dipping sauces. 500ml bottle.
Why Chefs Choose This
- Acidity with depth: three years of ageing gives a mellow, savoury vinegar that adds body as well as tang.
- Brown rice and wheat: whole-grain brewing gives more colour, aroma and roundness than a white rice vinegar.
- Rounds out rich food: cuts through pork belly, oily fish and fried dishes without stripping their flavour.
- A specialist brewer: Yokoi is a Tokyo vinegar house known to sushi chefs for its traditional brewed vinegars.
How to Use
- Braises and glazes: a spoonful in kakuni pork belly, sweet and sour pork or a soy glaze for chicken wings.
- Dressings and dips: mix with soy and sesame oil for dumplings, or whisk into a dressing for noodles and salads.
- Finishing: a few drops over grilled fish, roast vegetables or a rich stew to lift it.
- As a drink: diluted four to five times with cold water or milk, as it is often taken in Japan.
Kurozu (黒酢, black vinegar) is Japan's aged grain vinegar. Where ordinary rice vinegar is clear and made quickly, kurozu is fermented and matured for a long time, often a year or more, until natural reactions between its sugars and amino acids turn it dark and mellow. Ma-kurozu (真黒酢) literally means true black vinegar. Yokoi Vinegar Brewing (横井醸造工業) is based in Shinkiba, Kōtō, Tokyo, and also makes akazu, the red sake-lees vinegar used for Edomae sushi rice.
Learn more: What is Japanese Black Vinegar?
What does Japanese black vinegar taste like?
Softer than you expect from a vinegar. There is acidity, but it is rounded rather than sharp, with a malty, slightly sweet depth from the brown rice and wheat and a savoury, almost soy-like note from the long ageing. It smells warm and grainy rather than harsh. Compared with Chinese Chinkiang vinegar it is milder and less smoky; compared with balsamic it is drier and more savoury. Diluted in water it becomes gentle and easy to drink.
Product Details
| Type | Black vinegar (黒酢, kurozu), brewed grain vinegar |
| Brand | Yokoi (ヨコ井), Yokoi Vinegar Brewing Co. |
| Product | Ma-Kurozu (真黒酢) |
| Grains | Brown rice and wheat |
| Ageing | 3 years |
| Origin | Tokyo, Japan |
| Volume and Format | 500ml bottle |
| Storage | Cool, dark place; refrigeration optional after opening |
What is the difference between black vinegar and rice vinegar?
Time and grain. Rice vinegar is usually made from polished white rice and is clear, clean and sharp. Black vinegar is made from brown rice, sometimes with wheat or barley, and matured for much longer, which darkens it and gives a rounder, deeper, less acidic flavour.
Is it the same as Chinese black vinegar?
No. Chinese black vinegars such as Chinkiang are made from glutinous rice with other grains and are often smoky and sharper. Japanese kurozu is milder, rounder and less smoky. They can stand in for each other in a pinch, but the flavour will change.
How should I store it?
In a cool, dark cupboard with the cap closed. Vinegar keeps well, so refrigeration is not essential, but keeping it chilled after opening helps it hold its aroma. A little sediment can form over time from the grain, which is normal.
Ingredients and allergens
Ingredients: Brown rice, wheat, water.
Allergen information is taken from the manufacturer's import specification; always check the pack before use.
SKU : S0321