Laba Porridge

Ingredients

• Drinking water
• Rice
• Glutinous rice
• Peanuts
• Red beans (adzuki)
• Red dates (jujubes)
• Porridge pot (a regular pot tends to burn on the bottom; use a pressure cooker if you can)
• Medium glass bowls (or other medium stainless steel containers)
• Several small bowls

Optional ingredients

• Laba porridge recipes vary widely, so choose from the ingredients below according to your taste.
• Job's tears (coix seed)
• Black rice
• Millet
• Lotus seeds
• Mung beans
• Soybeans
• Peas
• Red kidney beans
• Longan (dried, seeded)
• Chestnuts
• Shelled walnuts
• Raisins
• Rock sugar (or white sugar, for seasoning)

Steps

1. Wash the mung beans, red beans, peanuts, soybeans, peas and red kidney beans ahead of time, put them in a clean glass bowl, fill it 3/4 full with drinking water and soak overnight (or at least 8 hours).
2. Wash the rice, glutinous rice, Job's tears, black rice, millet and lotus seeds ahead of time, put them in a clean glass bowl, fill it 3/4 full with drinking water and soak for 3 hours.
3. Drain the water from the bowl of mung beans, red beans, peanuts, soybeans, peas and kidney beans from step 1, pour the beans into the porridge pot, add 1 liter of drinking water (or enough to cover by a thumb's width), bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.
4. Drain the water from the bowl of rice, glutinous rice, Job's tears, black rice, millet and lotus seeds from step 2, add them to the pot, cover and simmer on low for 60 minutes.
5. Wash the red dates, longan, chestnuts, walnuts and raisins (cut the red dates into small pieces), add them to the pot with the rock sugar, cover and simmer on low for 60 minutes.
6. Once the porridge is thick, turn off the heat, ladle into bowls and serve.