Buddhist temples of China — the festival has been observed since the Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE)
La ba zhou: the ritual congee of La Ba Festival (8th day of 12th lunar month, approximately January). Eight or more ingredients simmered together: glutinous rice, red dates, lotus seeds, goji berries, longans, peanuts, walnuts, mung beans, adzuki beans. The dish commemorates Buddha's enlightenment and marks the beginning of Chinese New Year preparations.
Warm, sweet, multi-textured — glutinous, creamy, nutty, with dried fruit sweetness and herbal complexity
{"Different ingredients require different cooking times — add in stages","Long simmer (2–3 hours) breaks down grains and beans into creamy porridge","Eight is auspicious — can use more than eight ingredients","Sweetness comes from dates and dried fruit — add refined sugar only if needed"}
{"Pre-soak glutinous rice, lotus seeds, and dried beans separately for 4+ hours","Add goji berries in the last 5 minutes — they colour the porridge red if added too early","Brown sugar (hong tang) is the traditional sweetener for La Ba zhou"}
{"Adding all ingredients at once — harder beans remain firm while softer ones disintegrate","Not soaking beans overnight — significantly extends cooking time","Over-sweetening — the natural sweetness of dates and longans should dominate"}
Every Grain of Rice — Fuchsia Dunlop