Locust Flower Millet Rice

Locust Flower Millet Rice

　　　The way people in northern Shaanxi make locust flower "millet rice" is slightly different from those in central Shaanxi. We usually pick the flowers from the clusters, wash them, blanch them in boiling water, squeeze out the moisture, then use a special "grater" to grate the potatoes into flat shreds. We put the potato shreds and locust flowers into a bowl, add an appropriate amount of flour, mix well, and steam for about 20 minutes. Once steamed, they are mixed with a prepared sauce (usually made by mashing garlic, chili powder, MSG, chopped scallions, soy sauce, and vinegar in a bowl, then splashing some oil on top), making a delicious dish known as "locust flower potato 'scrapings'."