腊 Eight Porridge (Laba Porridge)
腊 Eight Porridge (Laba Porridge) is a home-style soup at difficulty 4/5 (Advanced), about 2042 kcal. Laba Porridge is a traditional seasonal sweet porridge. Ingredients and step-by-step instructions are below, with notes for home cooking.
4 / 5
★★★★☆
2042 kcal
Ingredients
- Water
- Rice
- Glutinous rice
- Peanuts
- Red beans
- Red dates
- Pot suitable for thick porridge (A regular pot is prone to burning the bottom; if possible, choose a pressure cooker)
- Medium-sized glass bowl (or any other medium-sized stainless steel container)
- Several small bowls
- ### Optional Ingredients
- Since the recipe for Laba Porridge varies widely, you can choose the following ingredients below according to your personal taste preferences.
- Coix seed (Job's tears)
- Black rice
- Millet
- Lotus seeds
- Green beans
- Soybeans
- Peas
- Red kidney beans (azuki beans)
- Longan (with seeds removed)
- Chestnuts
- Shelled walnuts
- Raisins
- Rock sugar (or white sugar for seasoning)
Steps
- Wash the green beans, red beans, peanuts, soybeans, peas, and red kidney beans in advance and place them in a clean glass bowl. Pour in water until it reaches 3/4 of the bowl's capacity and let them soak overnight (or for a minimum of 8 hours).
- Wash the rice, glutinous rice, coix seed, black rice, millet, and lotus seeds in advance and place them in a clean glass bowl. Pour in water until it reaches 3/4 of the bowl's capacity and let them soak for 3 hours.
- Separately pour out the water from the glass bowl in step 1 containing the green beans, red beans, peanuts, soybeans, peas, and red kidney beans. Pour the remaining ingredients into the porridge pot, add 1 liter of water (or enough to cover the ingredients by the thickness of 1 thumb). Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover the pot and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
- Separately pour out the water from the glass bowl in step 2 containing the rice, glutinous rice, coix seed, black rice, millet, and lotus seeds. Pour the remaining ingredients into the porridge pot, cover the pot, and simmer over low heat for 60 minutes.
- Wash the red dates, longan, chestnuts, walnuts, and raisins (chop the red dates into small pieces) and add them to the pot. Add the rock sugar, cover the pot, and simmer over low heat for 60 minutes.
- Once the porridge has reached a thick and sticky consistency, turn off the heat, serve into bowls, and eat.
Notes
Laba Porridge is a traditional seasonal sweet porridge. The texture is thick and soft, blending the complex aromas of multiple grains, beans, and dried fruits. It is rich in carbohydrates, minerals, and various vitamins. Lotus seeds also have a calming effect on the mind and are suitable for people under high work pressure. Although there are many ingredients, the operation is simple; patience and slow simmering are all that is needed. It is beginner-friendly. Excluding the soaking preparation time, the simmering takes about 3 hours.
Estimated Difficulty: ★★★★
Estimated Calories: 2042 kcal
Calculation (for one person serving about 3 small bowls):
- Water: 1 L
- Rice: 50 g
- Glutinous rice: 50 g
- Coix seed: 50 g
- Black rice: 50 g
- Millet: 50 g
- Lotus seeds: 25 g
- Green beans: 25 g
- Red beans: 25 g
- Peanuts: 25 g
- Soybeans: 25 g
- Peas: 25 g
- Red dates: 25 g
- Longan: 25 g
- Chestnuts: 25 g
- Shelled walnuts: 25 g
- Raisins: 25 g
- Red kidney beans: 25 g
- Rock sugar: 10~25 g
You can adjust the above ingredients according to your own taste preferences. For grains, it is not recommended to exceed 150 g, and for other beans, not recommended to exceed 50 g.
- When adding ingredients to the pot, stir to ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout. Also, keep an eye on the water level; if the water level drops below the grain or ingredient line, add water immediately.
- Pay attention to controlling the heat; do not make it too high, and stir at regular intervals. If using a regular pot, it is recommended to bring water to a boil before adding ingredients. Stir until it boils again, then switch to low heat to avoid burning the bottom of the pot. If possible, a pressure cooker or a specialized porridge pot is recommended.
- References: [Most Authentic Laba Porridge Method, Sweet, Soft, and Sticky, Success in One Go! \_ Bilibili](https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Mt411H7by/?spm_id_from=333.1391.0.0&vd_source=2a1baf3b15cd0eb7f9396b4ad2708e44) 、 [Labazhou (Porridge made with multiple ingredients on Laba Festival) \_ Baidu Baike](https://baike.baidu.com/item/腊八粥/27200)
If you find any issues or areas for improvement in the process by following this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull request.