Imperial Millet Congee (小米粥, xiǎomǐ zhōu)
A silky porridge of small yellow millet, long-simmered until the grains burst and release their golden cream. Comforting, light, it opened the emperor's meals just as it did the people's.
A silky porridge of small yellow millet, long-simmered until the grains burst and release their golden cream. Comforting, light, it opened the emperor's meals just as it did the people's.
They set before Us a hundred steaming dishes, and Our hand reaches only for the bowl of millet. What can you do? A sick sovereign's stomach has no use for the roasts of the Manchu hunt. Cook the small yellow grain long, very long, in plenty of water, until it becomes velvet; stir it constantly, else it sticks and spoils. It is the food of the men of the North, and it was mine in the solitude of Yingtai.
- •Small yellow millet — one bowl (staple grain of northern China)
- •Spring water — in abundance (cooking liquid)
Imperial Millet Congee (小米粥, xiǎomǐ zhōu)
A silky porridge of small yellow millet, long-simmered until the grains burst and release their golden cream. Comforting, light, it opened the emperor's meals just as it did the people's.
Why this dish? Guangxu, reputedly frugal and with a small appetite, disdained the splendor of the dozens of dishes set before him and always returned to this simple yellow millet congee, the daily food of all northern China, from emperor to peasant.
They set before Us a hundred steaming dishes, and Our hand reaches only for the bowl of millet. What can you do? A sick sovereign's stomach has no use for the roasts of the Manchu hunt. Cook the small yellow grain long, very long, in plenty of water, until it becomes velvet; stir it constantly, else it sticks and spoils. It is the food of the men of the North, and it was mine in the solitude of Yingtai.
Ingredients (period version)
- Small yellow millet — one bowl (staple grain of northern China)
- Spring water — in abundance (cooking liquid)
Ingredients
- Yellow millet (small millet) — 150 g (grain)
- Water — 1.2 to 1.5 L (cooking liquid)
- Rock sugar (bingtang) or dried jujubes — 1 tbsp or 4 jujubes (optional) (optional sweet touch)
Method
- Rinse the millet under cold water until the water runs clear.
- Bring the water to a boil, add the millet, then reduce to a simmer.
- Cook for 40 to 50 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent sticking, until the congee is creamy and golden.
- For a sweet version, add rock sugar or a few pitted jujubes near the end of cooking.
- Serve piping hot in a bowl; the fine creamy skin that forms on top is the most prized part.
How it was made : Millet (xiaomi) was the foundational grain of northern China long before rice. At the Qing court, millet congee was a daily dish, even in the emperor's meals, by tradition and for its digestive virtues.
The contemporary twist : A spoonful of candied jujubes and a few toasted pumpkin seeds (local to Asia) for a very modern "imperial frugal" breakfast.
Guangxu · Charactorium
