Red yeast rice - Wikiwand

CulinaryRed yeast rice is used to color a wide variety of food products, including fermented tofu, red rice vinegar, char siu, Peking duck, and Chinese pastries that require red food coloring.In China, documentation dates back to at least the first century AD.[2] It is also traditionally used in the production of several types of Chinese huangjiu (Shaoxing jiu), and Japanese sake (akaisake), imparting a reddish color to these wines.[8] It was called a "koji" in Japanese, meaning "grain or bean overgrown with a mold culture".[1]The lees left over from wine production, known as hóngzāo (红糟), can be used as flavoring, imparting a subtle but pleasant taste to food. The lees are particularly commonly used in Fujian cuisine, where they are used for dishes like Fujian red wine chicken, a celebratory dish associated with birthdays and Chinese New Year.[9][3]Red yeast rice (angkak in Filipino) is also used widely in the Philippines to traditionally color and preserve certain dishes like ferme...