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Jiu Niang (Lao Zao): Chinese Sweet Fermented Glutinous Rice, and How to Make It

By Updated 2 min read

Jiu niang is China’s sweet fermented glutinous rice — ready in 48 to 72 hours, mildly alcoholic, and eaten in soups, desserts, and as a standalone snack. It’s one of the most beginner-accessible koji ferments you can make at home.

At a glance

Jiu niang (lao zao in Sichuan) is Chinese sweet fermented glutinous rice: steamed sticky rice mixed with a jiuqu starter and kept warm for about two days, until the grains sit in a sweet, slightly sour liquid. Rhizopus moulds turn the starch into sugar, yeasts make a little alcohol – about 2% after 43 hours at 30°C in one study – and lactic acid bacteria add tang. It's eaten cold or in sweet soups with rice balls.

  • Steamed glutinous rice fermented with a jiuqu starter for about 1.5–2 days.
  • Starters are dominated by Rhizopus and Saccharomycopsis fungi and Weissella, Pediococcus and Lactobacillus bacteria.
  • Mould enzymes make the sugar; yeasts then make a little alcohol.
  • About 2% alcohol after 43 hours at 30°C in a study.
  • Classic use: jiu niang tang yuan, a sweet soup with glutinous rice balls.

Ferment profile

Origin
China (jiu niang in the east, lao zao in Sichuan and the west)
Fermentation
Mixed (lactic + alcoholic)
Main microbes
Rhizopus (and Amylomyces) moulds, Saccharomycopsis and other yeasts, lactic acid bacteria
Live cultures
Depends on preparation
Alcohol
Low (under 2%)

Jiu niang (酒酿, “fermented wine”), called lao zao (醪糟) in Sichuan and much of western China, is steamed glutinous rice fermented with a dry starter called jiuqu (酒曲) until the grains soften in a sweet, fragrant, slightly sour liquid with a little alcohol. It’s eaten as it is, cold, or warm in soups and desserts – most famously with small glutinous rice balls (jiu niang tang yuan) or a beaten egg.

What Ferments It

Jiuqu is a ball or powder of rice flour carrying moulds, yeasts and bacteria. In starters for Chinese sweet rice wine collected from different regions, the fungi were dominated by Rhizopus and the yeast-like Saccharomycopsis, and the bacteria by Weissella, Pediococcus and Lactobacillus (Zou et al., 2023). The FAO’s survey of fermented cereals lists lao-chao with Rhizopus and Amylomyces rouxii among its moulds (FAO, 1999).

The mould does the main work: its enzymes turn the rice starch into sugar, which is why jiu niang turns so sweet and syrupy. Yeasts then turn some of the sugar into alcohol, and lactic acid bacteria add a mild tang. In a study that followed sweet rice wine through 43 hours at 30°C, Rhizopus was the main fungus throughout, sugar and acidity rose steadily, and alcohol only appeared at the end, at about 2% by volume (Tian et al., 2025). That’s why a young jiu niang is mostly sweet and a longer one gets more sour and boozy.

Relatives

Indonesian and Malaysian tapai is made the same way with a starter called ragi. Japanese amazake also turns rice sweet with mould enzymes, but uses koji (Aspergillus oryzae) without yeast, so it doesn’t become alcoholic. Rice wines such as Korean makgeolli and Vietnamese rượu cần start similarly but ferment much longer.

How to Use It

  • Jiu niang tang yuan: simmer small glutinous rice balls in water, then stir in a few spoonfuls of jiu niang (and a beaten egg, if you like) just before serving; sweeten to taste.
  • Cold: a small bowl straight from the fridge, with osmanthus syrup if you have it.
  • Cooking: a spoonful in braises, marinades and sauces adds sweetness and a rice-wine aroma.

Heating jiu niang drives off some of the alcohol, but not all of it.

Recipe: Jiu Niang (Sweet Fermented Rice)

Makes
About 600 g
Hands-on
40 min
Fermentation
About 36–48 hours at 30°C
Temperature
About 30°C (86°F)
Difficulty
Easy

Equipment

  • Steamer lined with cloth
  • Thermometer
  • 1-litre glass jar or bowl with a lid
  • A warm place: yogurt maker, proofing setting or insulated box

Ingredients

  • 300 g glutinous (sticky) rice (soaked 6–8 hours or overnight)
  • Per package (often 1 ball or ½–1 tsp powder for 300 g) jiuqu (Chinese sweet rice wine starter) (crushed if in a ball)
  • About 100 ml cool boiled water (for rinsing and cooling)

Method

  1. Drain the soaked rice and steam it on a cloth for 25–30 minutes, until translucent and cooked through.
  2. Spread it out (or rinse it briefly with cool boiled water) and cool it to 30–35°C. Too hot kills the starter.
  3. Sprinkle over the crushed jiuqu and mix it through evenly with a clean spoon.
  4. Pack it loosely into the clean jar, smooth the top and make a well down the centre. Cover.
  5. Keep at about 30°C. After about a day, sweet liquid starts collecting in the well.
  6. Taste from about 36 hours. When it's sweet and fragrant with a little tang – usually by 36–48 hours – refrigerate it and eat within about a week.
  7. A fine white, fluffy growth is the starter mould. Discard the batch if you see green, pink, orange or black fuzzy mould or it smells rotten.

Frequently asked questions

What is jiu niang?

Chinese sweet fermented glutinous rice: steamed sticky rice fermented with a jiuqu starter until sweet, slightly sour and lightly alcoholic.

Is jiu niang the same as lao zao?

Yes – jiu niang is the name in eastern China, lao zao in Sichuan and western China.

Is jiu niang alcoholic?

A little: about 2% by volume after 43 hours at 30°C in one study, and more if it ferments longer.

What is jiuqu?

The dry starter for Chinese sweet rice wine: rice flour carrying Rhizopus moulds, yeasts and lactic acid bacteria.

What's the difference between jiu niang and amazake?

Amazake uses koji mould without yeast, so it stays sweet and alcohol-free; jiu niang's starter includes yeasts, so it develops some alcohol.

Is the white fuzz on my jiu niang mould?

A fine white, fluffy growth is the starter mould and is normal. Green, pink, orange or black fuzzy mould means discard.

Sources

  1. Zou J et al. (2023). Microbial communities and correlation between microbiota and volatile compounds in fermentation starters of Chinese sweet rice wine from different regions. Foods 12(15):2932. Link
  2. Tian P et al. (2025). Acidity, sugar, and alcohol contents during the fermentation of Osmanthus-flavored sweet rice wine and microbial community dynamics. PeerJ 13:e18826. Link
  3. FAO (1999). Fermented cereals: a global perspective, chapter 3: Asia-Pacific region. FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 138. Link
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