Five-color Flower Rice

Five-color Flower Rice

　　The Buyi people have always valued cleanliness and are blessed by the beautiful mountains and waters of Luoping, making them a culturally rich and charming ethnic group. When it comes to food, the Buyi place great emphasis on cleanliness and flavor. Their five-color flower rice is particularly distinctive.

　　Five-color flower rice is a specialty of the Buyi people, not only vibrant in color but also rich in taste. The colors typically include red, purple, black, white, and yellow, collectively called “five-color flower rice.” Some variations use only red, yellow, and white, known as “three-color flower rice.”

　　Every year after autumn, the Buyi carefully select premium glutinous rice, setting it aside specifically for making flower rice. By the following year’s March 3rd, a traditional ethnic festival, they venture into the mountains or gather around their homes to dig up several edible wild plants. They pound the roots, stems, flowers, and leaves of these plants separately to extract three pigments—red, yellow, and blue—which are then mixed to produce black and purple, completing the set of five colors needed for the flower rice.

　　White is the natural color of the rice. Red, crimson, and purple are achieved by soaking the grains in juice extracted from a plant called “sisters’ rice leaf,” with variations in hue based on the concentration of the juice. Yellow is derived from soaking the seeds of a plant known as “yellow rice flower.” Black is made by burning straw-like wheat stalks, soaking the ashes in water, filtering out the residue, and using the resulting colored liquid. Purple-black is created by soaking the rice in juice extracted from the leaves of the sweet gum tree.

　　The soaked glutinous rice is divided among five small earthenware basins, and each is mixed with one of the five colored liquids. Once the colors have fully saturated the rice, the five bowls of colored rice are taken to a nearby stream to be rinsed—the stream is called Duoyi, and the sight of Buyi girls washing flower rice by its banks is considered the most beautiful scenery along this “river of daughters.” Only after rinsing can the colored rices be combined, steamed in a bamboo steamer, and finally spread out to dry in a winnowing basket. The finished five-color flower rice is vividly colored, fragrant, and delicious, and can be eaten either cold or reheated by steaming. For those with a sweet tooth, adding a bit of honey makes it even more delightful.

　　If the prepared five-color flower rice is not finished during the festival, it can also be shaped into small round rice balls or naturally sun-dried for later storage and consumption. The small rice balls are deep-fried until puffed and crispy—not only are they deliciously crunchy, but they also look appealing, making them an excellent accompaniment to alcohol. Sun-dried flower rice can be scooped into a bowl, softened with hot water, and turned into flower porridge. Adding a few poached eggs to the porridge turns it into a flower egg rice congee, which is considered the finest dish the Buyi serve to guests.