Taiwan Food Atlas

Matsu Red Yeast Rice (Hongzao) Dishes

Red yeast rice lees left over from brewing aged rice wine — the defining color of every Matsu household's kitchen
📍 Matsu · Nangan Siwei🏆 Iconic · Meat🟥 The Star of Both Postpartum Meals and New Year Feasts

Hongzao dishes are the most recognizable category of home cooking in Matsu cuisine, built around hongzao — the red yeast rice lees left over from brewing Fuzhou-style aged wine. A 2018 field-research project by the Lienchiang County Cultural Affairs Bureau, "Matsu Good Food," identifies aged rice wine, hongzao, and old ginger as the soul ingredients of traditional Matsu postpartum recovery meals, with Hongzao Chicken listed as one of the representative recipes; other common dishes include Hongzao Eel, Hongzao Fried Rice, and Hongzao Pork.

The Lienchiang County Cultural Affairs Bureau ran a field-research project called "Matsu Good Food" from 2017 to 2018, commissioning local cultural researcher You Guixiang to document "Traditional Matsu Postpartum Meals," which identifies aged rice wine, hongzao, and old ginger as the three soul ingredients of the tradition, with Hongzao Chicken among the six core recipes recorded; the material is archived on the National Cultural Memory Bank's curation platform.

What Is Hongzao

Hongzao is the fermented lees left behind after brewing Fuzhou-style aged rice wine (red yeast rice wine). It is made from glutinous rice inoculated with red yeast mold (Monascus), dark red in color with a gentle wine aroma that is both slightly sweet and slightly sour. The people of Fuzhou transformed this brewing byproduct into a prized condiment — used to marinate meat, enrich soups, and stir-fry rice — giving food its distinctive wine-red hue and a deep, mellow wine fragrance. Matsu inherited the Fuzhou culinary tradition: the archipelago brews a great deal of aged rice wine, so hongzao is naturally abundant and has become a kitchen staple in virtually every home.

Representative dishes include Hongzao Chicken (chicken marinated in hongzao, then simmered into soup or braised — a must in postpartum recovery meals), Hongzao Eel (eel sections coated in hongzao and deep-fried until the outside is crisp and the inside tender, with a wine fragrance), and Hongzao Pork (pork marinated in hongzao, then pan-fried or braised). In the Lienchiang County government's promotion of home-cooking culture, hongzao dishes are cited as Matsu's most recognizable culinary symbol; each mother's ratio of ingredients differs slightly, yielding a unique flavor in every household.

How to Eat It Like a Local

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Hongzao Chicken SoupChicken marinated in hongzao is simmered into soup — the broth turns a warm red and carries a wine fragrance. It is the top choice for postpartum recovery on Matsu; new mothers drink it almost daily throughout the first month.
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Deep-Fried Hongzao EelSections of eel are coated in hongzao and sweet potato starch, then deep-fried until the outside is crisp and the inside tender. The wine fragrance is locked into the fish flesh, making it a classic centerpiece dish at New Year banquets.
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Hongzao Fried RiceHongzao is mixed with cold cooked rice and stir-fried over high heat until each grain is stained wine-red, then finished with beaten egg and minced scallion. An everyday main course unique to Matsu.
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Pan-Fried Hongzao PorkPork belly marinated overnight in hongzao is pan-fried to a fragrant finish — served with steamed rice or tucked inside a Guang Bing. The no-nonsense breakfast-to-brunch staple of Eastern Fujian.

Local Know-How

Verified Third-Party Endorsements (Sponsorship Filtered)

  • The National Cultural Memory Bank records Hongzao Chicken Soup as a Matsu postpartum recovery tradition and Deep-Fried Hongzao Eel as a representative New Year dish.
  • The Lienchiang County government's specialty food culture lists Hongzao Chicken, Hongzao Eel, and Hongzao Fried Rice as representative Matsu home-cooking dishes.
  • Long-established local hongzao workshops in Nangan, such as Lin Yihe Workshop, have maintained family-inherited brewing methods for years.

Visiting Tips

  • Each workshop's hongzao recipe is different — try at least 2–3 to compare variations in sweetness, acidity, and wine-fragrance balance.
  • Because hongzao dishes contain alcohol lees, pregnant women and children are advised to confirm the alcohol content before eating.
  • Ready-made hongzao from workshops is available vacuum-packed to take home and cook with — more economical than eating finished dishes at a restaurant, and it lets you recreate the Matsu flavor yourself.

Data compiled from the Lienchiang County Tourism Bureau, Matsu Distillery, and a large volume of public reviews; sponsored content has been filtered out. Photos will be replaced with the channel's exclusive footage after Dio's on-site shoot.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is hongzao made from?

It is the fermented lees left after brewing Fuzhou-style aged rice wine, made from glutinous rice and red yeast mold.

What role does hongzao play in Matsu postpartum meals?

A Lienchiang County Cultural Affairs Bureau field study identifies aged rice wine, hongzao, and old ginger as the three soul ingredients of traditional Matsu postpartum meals, with Hongzao Chicken as a representative recipe.

What are common hongzao dishes?

Besides Hongzao Chicken, common dishes include Hongzao Eel, Hongzao Fried Rice, and Hongzao Pork.

Sources

🗺️ View on the map ← All Lienchiang dishes