Hong zao — the red lees left from brewing Fujian red-yeast rice wine: a moist, wine-fragrant, deep-rose paste of fermented glutinous rice and red yeast. Savory-sweet and faintly alcoholic, it both colors and seasons, and is the defining marinade and braising paste of Fuzhou 'red-lees' cooking.
Where it comes from
The by-product of brewing red-yeast rice wine in Fujian, red fermented rice lees is the heart of Fuzhou's distinctive zao cooking — red-lees pork, red-lees chicken and more.
In the kitchen
Used as a rosy marinade and braising paste that colors and seasons meats and fish with a sweet-savory, lightly winey fermented depth.
Nutrition (per 100g)
~130kcalCal
~4.0gProtein
~0.5gFat
~26.0gCarbs
~1.0gFiber
AI-estimated; model and run unavailable.
