Flavored Qianqian Rice

Flavored Qianqian Rice

　　Coarse grain–crafted Qianqian Rice. Black beans are soaked until plump and swollen, then flattened on a millstone into coin-like discs—hence the folk name “Qianqian Rice.” The recipe blends two parts bean coins with eight parts rice, layered and cooked together. When the bean coins are half-done, millet is added. It warms the body and lifts the spirits. Legend says that Diaochan owed her legendary beauty to this very dish. (Yan’an)

　　During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, Shi Le and cavalry commander Ji Sang rose up against the Jin Dynasty. After Ji Sang was killed by Jin forces, Shi Le, suffering heavy casualties, had no choice but to surrender to Han King Liu Yuan. Impressed by Shi Le’s military prowess, Liu Yuan personally summoned and warmly received him, appointing him General of the East. Shi Le later led his army in campaigns across Bing and Ji, establishing a regional power alongside Wang Mi and Wang Bo. In the second year of Guangchu (319 AD), he declared himself king and founded the Later Zhao. By the tenth year of Guangchu (327 AD), Shi Le decisively defeated Liu Yao, who fled with his remnants. Shi Le pursued relentlessly to the northwest of Lishi (now within Lin County), setting up camp amid the Zishan Mountains.

　　Lin County suffered prolonged drought and years of warfare, leaving its people starving and freezing. By 328 AD, the land was parched and barren. Shi Le’s troops were famished, with some resorting to looting civilians. Shi Le enforced discipline and ordered his soldiers to gather elm seeds (yinqian) to stave off hunger. The bean coins were rinsed clean and cooked with millet into “Qianqian Rice” as emergency rations. He also had his men distribute Qianqian Rice to relieve the famine-stricken locals, helping them survive the crisis. To honor Shi Le’s relief efforts, the people later built the Yinghou Temple (also called Shi Le Temple or commonly the Great King Temple) on Zishan Mountain. During worship, Qianqian Rice was always offered. In seasons without elm seeds, flattened black beans were used instead. The tradition gradually spread and has continued to this day.

　　The ingredients of Qianqian Rice are millet and black beans. To make the “coins,” black beans are briefly boiled in hot water until just swollen, then cooled and pounded on a flat stone (or any even surface) with an iron hammer until they’re about the thickness of coins. Cooking Qianqian Rice is simple: first rinse the millet in cold water and put it in the pot, then add the coin-cooked beans. After about twenty minutes, it’s ready to eat. For a thicker, porridge-like consistency, simply cook longer—that’s pure Qianqian Rice. Some also mix in vegetables such as sweet potato Qianqian Rice or potato Qianqian Rice. Sweet potato Qianqian Rice is made from autumn harvest (lunar September) to early summer the next year, when locals substitute sweet potatoes for grain. First boil water, add sweet potatoes, then millet and coins once boiling, cooking until the mixture reaches a thin or slightly thick porridge-like state.

　　Qianqian Rice is nutritious and easy to digest. In summer, it quenches thirst and cools the body; in winter, it provides warmth and drives out the cold.

　　Qianqian Rice is crafted from coarse grains. Its main ingredient is black beans, which are soaked and flattened on a millstone into coin-like shapes—hence the name “Qianqian Rice.” The blend is two parts bean coins to eight parts rice, layered and cooked together, with the bean coins added halfway through cooking.