In China, red yeast has been used for hundreds of years as traditional medicines for digestive and vascular health, and has also been a dietary staple in many Asian countries, where it was made into an extract to use as a colouring agent in various dishes. While in Western countries, it has been used as a food supplement and natural remedy for lowering total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides. Red yeast contains active ingredients such as monacolin K, which possesses cholesterol-lowering effects that have less adverse side effects than prescription drugs used to treat high cholesterol. Studies have also shown that red yeast possesses anti-inflammatory effects and is able to reduce blood sugar, insulin levels and systolic blood pressure for people with metabolic syndrome.

As red yeast is safe to consume, it can be used as a natural colouring agent in a wide range of food products, including rice, porridge, mee sua, vegetables, vinegar, wine, fermented bean curd, Chinese pastry and confections.

You can cook red yeast rice like regular rice, by adding 1 cup of red yeast rice with 1 1/2 – 2 cups of water and cooking it for 25 minutes. Go easy on the amount of red yeast you use in cuisines and excessive amounts may result in a bitter taste.

It is easy to use red yeast in your daily cooking. The suggested serving size would be 1- 2 tablespoons. Red yeast powder could taste a little sour when uncooked but will lessen after cooking.

Red yeast could also be mixed with vegetable oil or wine and sugar to create red yeast sauce, that could be used as a topping on your favourite dish such as steamed tofu.

红麹怎么使用？

红麹霉 (学名：Monascus purpureus)是一种带紫红色的真菌。红麹米是以粳米作为原料，用红麹菌霉发酵而制成。普遍上华人常用红麹霉产品来做为主食或天然调色剂，它包括红麹粉，红麹米，红麹酱油和红麹酱等。

红麹米的药用价值最早发现于中国。自古以来它一直被视为中药即食品，主要功效包括活血化瘀及健脾消食。后来在许多亚洲国家或地区被人们当成主食来食用，也被提炼出来作为各种菜肴的天然染色剂。在西方国家，它被用作为降低总胆固醇、坏胆固醇、和三酸甘油酯的天然疗法。

红麹含有的活性成分 – 红麴菌素 K已被很多的研究发现具有降低胆固醇的功效，并且与用于治疗高胆固醇的药物比起来副作用更小。研究也显示，红麹米具有抗发炎的作用，能够降低代谢综合症患者的血糖、胰岛素水平、和血压。

因为红麹米或红麹粉被视为安全性高的食品，因此它在烹饪中的应用较为广泛，可加入多种食品中来添加色泽，这些食材包括米饭、粥、面线、蔬菜、醋、酒、腐乳、中式糕点、甜点等。

红麹米最方便和容易的煮法是煮成米饭，口感和味道都不错，也适合一家大小食用。红麹米饭的煮法简单，只需把1 杯红麹米加入1 1/2 至 2 杯的水， 然后煮25分钟，但必须注意若在食物中加入过量的红麹米或红麹粉可能会使菜肴产生苦味。

红麹粉的使用方法也非常简单，分量约为1 – 2汤匙，只需与你喜爱的食物混合并一起烹煮。虽然红麹的味道带微酸，但烹饪后酸味便会减少。

红麹酱也可与植物油或白酒和糖混合一起，特制成红麹酱汁来用作食材的调味料，可撒在蒸豆腐上。