Oil-Infused Golden Millet Rice

Oil-Infused Golden Millet Rice

　　The ancient Shangdang region is the homeland of millet. There are many ways to eat millet locally—common dishes include millet congee, millet porridge, steamed millet, stir-fried millet, and steamed buns made by mixing millet flour with wheat flour. But few know about the method of making Oil-Infused Golden Millet Rice. I remember eating this dish often as a child. Back then, it was simply prepared by first placing diced potatoes and radishes in an earthenware pot or iron pot with water, adding millet, and steaming it over a fire. When it was almost done, a few holes were poked with chopsticks, a bit of vegetable oil was poured in and stirred, and the dish was flavored with mashed garlic and salt, resulting in a delicious taste. Comparing the golden grains of millet to sand, and infusing them with oil during cooking, can be considered a small culinary invention. Elders would always say that this dish saves fuel and is just a way to satisfy cravings and change the flavor. As a result, it became a traditional meal in my family.

　　 After the Third Plenary Session, food became more abundant, and Oil-Infused Golden Millet Rice evolved with the times. It was no longer cooked with boiled vegetables but instead sautéed first, sometimes with added shredded meat or cellophane noodles, and even walnuts for seasoning. Both adults and children loved this dish. These days, kids are particularly picky eaters, often refusing certain foods, yet they are strongly drawn to foreign fast foods like “hamburgers,” “KFC,” and “McDonald’s,” constantly begging to go out for them. But if adults promise “Oil-Infused Golden Millet Rice,” their mood is sure to stabilize.

　　 I’ve eaten millet rice for decades and have a special fondness for it. Some say it was millet that fueled the Eighth Route Army as they fought the Japanese invaders with rifles. Though exaggerated, millet’s contribution is undeniable. During the Qing Dynasty, in Qinzhou Prefecture (now Qinxian County), there was a senior official named Wu Wangdian. He brought his hometown’s millet to the imperial palace, and Emperor Kangxi was delighted. Since then, Qinxian Yellow Millet has become the representative of Shangdang millet. In the past, in the Luzhou Prefecture (now Changzhi), there was also a story: a southern merchant and a Luzhou merchant became friends through trading hemp. Once, the southern merchant visited Luzhou and was treated to a millet meal. He ended up lingering and reluctant to leave. Later, when the Luzhou merchant served him rice instead, the southern merchant ate just one meal and wanted to return home. When asked why, he said: “You can’t afford to treat me to ‘golden rice thick porridge’ and ‘silver flake sprouts’ anymore—I have to go back.” It turned out he had mistaken the golden millet for “golden rice” and sliced, stir-fried potatoes for “silver flakes.”

　　 To love millet is inevitably to speak of foxtail millet. In the 1960s, the great writer Zhao Shuli once praised millet in his poem “Millet Is Good,” extolling how every part of the plant is valuable. Foxtail millet is a herbaceous plant. It’s believed that the legendary Emperor Yan (Shennong) began cultivating millet while tasting hundreds of herbs and pioneering agriculture on Yangtou Mountain and Baigu Mountain in Shangdang, marking the shift from hunting and fishing to farming. Millet is highly nutritious, very nourishing, and favored by those raising children, the elderly, or those in weakened health. The bran of millet also contains a wealth of amino acids and vitamins, making it excellent for making vinegar and liquor.

　　 Millet is highly valuable and easy to store, but it has low resistance to pests and diseases, and its planting and harvesting conditions are stringent. It requires a 130-day growing period and a frost-free period of 150 days. The land must be plowed multiple times before sowing to achieve a surface as smooth as a mirror and soil as fine as powder—otherwise, full germination can’t be guaranteed. Sowing too early leads to low yields, as the saying goes: “Sow late and get a handful of rice; sow early and get a handful of chaff.” It is generally sown during the Xiaoman season. The seeds must be carefully selected and soaked three times—first in clear water, then in saltwater, and finally in washing water. Saltwater soaking purifies the seeds, and after mixing with the pesticide Sailyisan, it strengthens seedlings, improves lodging resistance, and boosts pest and disease resistance. The Xiaoman season is usually dry, with poor land conditions that struggle to retain moisture, making seedling establishment difficult. When sowing, if planted too deep, seedlings won’t sprout; if too shallow, moisture may seep away. A skilled hand-pulled seed drill should be used, followed by pressing the soil with a stone roller—usually three times. The first press firms and retains moisture; the second, when seedlings emerge, helps them break through the soil; the third, when seedlings grow to the size of horse ears, eliminates pests in the furrows. When millet seedlings reach two inches tall, manual thinning begins, selecting around 10,000 evenly spaced plants from 30,000–40,000, followed by weeding and hoeing. During the heading and flowering stage, the crop is most vulnerable to drought—millet thrives on rain, and farmers often say: “Mud pulls out the millet spikes.” After heading, the crop needs ample sunlight—hence the saying: “Sunshine brings out the grain; rain breeds shriveled seeds”—a reflection of the climate’s demands.

　　 Millet processing today is mostly mechanical, but in the past, it was done with stone mills, requiring two or three rounds to finish. Millstone-ground millet doesn’t overheat, stores easily, and retains its flavor. Millet production is not easily mechanized, yields are low. Despite its high quality, millet isn’t highly valued, its price not reflecting its worth—selling for less than 2 yuan per jin at best, and even packaged, rarely exceeding 5 yuan per jin. The immortal line “Who knows that every grain on the plate comes from hard toil?” from the classic poem “Plowing Under the Noon Sun” perfectly embodies the spirit of millet. In old schoolbooks, there was an essay called “The Thousand-Person Cake”—eating delicately fragrant Oil-Infused Golden Millet Rice is almost like enjoying a “Thousand-Person Cake.” (Chang Fujiang)