Matsu Aged Rice Wine Noodles | Lienchiang Signature Dish

Matsu winters bring strong sea winds, and almost every kitchen on the island fills with the same aroma: glutinous red-yeast aged rice wine gurgling in a pot, sesame oil releasing the fragrance of old ginger, an egg dropped in, and finally a handful of fine white vermicelli. One bowl of aged rice wine noodles warms you from throat to feet — it is Matsu's signature postpartum meal and the most beloved warming dish on cold days.

What Are Aged Rice Wine Noodles

Aged rice wine noodles are built around Matsu's laojiu (glutinous rice fermented with red yeast mold, a low-alcohol rice wine commonly called "red label" or simply laojiu), combined with sesame oil, old ginger, eggs, and fine white vermicelli. The method: fry ginger slices in sesame oil, pour in the aged rice wine and bring to a boil so the wine fragrance is released and the alcohol cooks off, then add egg to form ribbon-like strands, and finally add the vermicelli for a brief simmer before serving. The broth is a faint red, with wine fragrance, ginger warmth, and egg richness interwoven — a quintessential Eastern Fujian nourishing dish.

Matsu's laojiu traces back to the Fuzhou tradition of fermenting glutinous rice with red yeast mold. The Matsu Distillery has been renowned since 1956 for its aged rice wine matured in the natural cellars of the 88 Tunnel, and the wine was once designated for use at state banquets. Almost every local family knows how to make aged rice wine noodles — whether for postpartum recovery, the Winter Solstice tonic season, or simply warming up after catching a cold. Specialty restaurants such as Jing'ao and Libin in Nangan's Fuxing area and Tangqi on Beigan provide it, but the most authentic version remains in Matsu families' own kitchens.

How to Drink It Like a Local

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Use Genuine LaojiuLook for the Matsu Distillery laojiu (red label) — only that gives you the authentic glutinous red-yeast fragrance. Regular cooking wine or rice spirits produce an entirely different result.

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Keep the Egg Half-CookedOnce the egg is dropped into the boiling soup and gently stirred into ribbons, keep the yolk half-set for the best aroma. Overcooking kills the wine-fragrance balance.

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Use Old GingerThe sesame oil must be used to fry thick slices of old ginger until lightly browned. Only when the spicy ginger heat combines with the wine fragrance can the warming effect be fully drawn out.

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Add Vermicelli LastDrop the vermicelli in at the very end and simmer for just 30 seconds before serving. Overcooking turns it mushy and absorbs all the broth, making the dish dry instead of soupy.

Local Know-How

Verified Third-Party Endorsements (Sponsorship Filtered)

The National Cultural Memory Bank records aged rice wine noodles as a representative Matsu family dish.
The Matsu Distillery was founded in 1956; its aged rice wine is cave-matured in the 88 Tunnel and was once designated for use at state banquets.
The Ministry of Culture's Traditional Arts Online platform names Jing'ao Snack Shop as the representative specialist for aged rice wine noodles on Beigan.

Visiting Tips

Aged rice wine noodles contain alcohol — pregnant women and children should avoid them, and drivers are advised to order something else for the meal before getting behind the wheel.
The Matsu Distillery's direct-sales shop sells laojiu to take home and cook with — considerably more economical than ordering at a restaurant.
This dish is a must-drink in winter; in summer some shops may not serve it every day — call ahead to confirm.

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.

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