Eight Treasure Congee, Ba Bao Fan 八宝饭
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One of the famous Health Foods in China is Eight Treasure Congee or Eight Treasure Rice Porridge. It is good for the young and old, those who are weak, or have a sensitive digestion. It is very nutritious, easy to chew and very easy to digest. Thus, a perfect health food. It is commonly available from street vendors and small restaurants throughout China.
It is a mix of grains and beans, with dried fruit, seeds, nuts, sometimes with Chinese tonic herbs, all cooked in a base of Rice.
There are a large number of variations. In general, the following ingredients are most used:
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Grains: Rice Black Rice Millet Barley |
Beans: Red Bean Black Bean Soy bean Green (Mung) bean |
Nuts: Walnut Pine nut Almond Peanut |
Dried Fruit: Jujube (Red Date) Hawthorn Goji berry Raisins |
Seeds: Lotus seed Sunflower seed Euryale (Fox nut) Sesame |
Herbs: Chinese Yam Codonopsis Atractylodes Poria |
Some of the Ingredients typically used in Eight Treasure Congee:Walnut. Millet Black Rice
Red Bean. Rice. Job’s Tears
Sesame. Lotus seed. Jujubes
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Sample Recipes
1. Basic Eight Treasure Congee
Rice: 50g
Sweet rice; 30g
Millets: 30g
Soybean: 20g
Red bean: 20g
Mung beans: 20g
Chinese red date: 3-4 pieces
Dried lychee fruit: 10g Directions: Soak all beans overnight then boil in water for one hour, add rice, sweet rice, millet, dates and lychee fruit in the pot and cook at low temperature till congee become very smooth.
Intake: It can be seasoned with sugar or salted vegetables. Eat it warm 1 – 2 times per day.
Function: this form of congee can nourish blood, improve sleep and strengthen body energy.
2. Shaolin Longevity Eight treasure Congee
Millet: 150g
Rice: 50g
Peanut: 25g
Walnut: 15g
Pine nuts: 5g
Red bean, rinsed: 10g
Hawthorns: 10g
Chinese red date: 5 pieces (without kernel)
Rock sugar
Directions: Put all nuts and beans in a ceramic pot with 500ml water to cook for one hour, then add millets and rice and continue cooking at a low temperature till everything becomes very soft and smooth. Then add rock sugar, red dates and hawthorn fruit at the end and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes.
Intake: Eat it warm at noon time every day. Half bowl for elderly and 1 to 1 ½ bowls for young adults.
The congee should be consumed during spring, fall and winter seasons.
3. Longevity Eight Treasure Congee
Spring rice (or sushi rice): 50g
Chinese Barley (Yi yi ren): 30g
Sunflower seed: 10g
Lotus seeds: 30g (pre-soak overnight)
Mung bean: 20g (peeled and soaked)
Black bean: 20g (pre-soak overnight)
Chinese red date: 5 pieces
Go ji berry: 15 g
Directions: Pre soak all beans overnight then cook in water for one hour, add rice, yi yi ren, go ji berries and dates in the pot and continue to cook at low temperature till congee become very soft.
Intake: Eat it warm 1- 2 times per day, better to add black sesame and black walnut power in the congee before eating. One can add sugar to the taste or with salty vegetables.
4. Eight treasure Congee for the Spleen
Dang Shen (Codonopsis Root): 3g
Bai zhu (Atractylodes Rhizome):3g
Qian shi (Euryale Seeds): 3g
Fu ling (Hoelen): 3g
Lian zi (Lotus Seeds): 3g
Bai bian dou (Hyacinth Bean): 15g
Yi yi ren (Coix Seeds): 10g
Shan Yao (Chinese yam): 10g
White rice: 15g
Directions: Put Codonopsis Root and Atractylodes Rhizome in a cheese cloth, cook in boiling water for 40 minutes. Use the herbal juice only with more water if needed, put all the rest of ingredients and rice in the pot, and then cook at medium temperature until everything becomes soft and smooth.
Intake: Eat it as breakfast or alone at dinner, twice a day.
Function: This form of congee is better for people who have a lot of dampness, fatigue, water retention and gain weight.
5. Eight Treasure Black Rice Congee
Lily bulb: 15g
Lotus seed: 15g
Raw Peanut: 15g
Walnut: 15g
Mung beans: 10g
Adzuki bean: 10g
Goji berries: 10g
Red Dates: 6–9
Black glutinous rice: 20g
White glutinous rice: 20g
Basmati rice: 1 cup
Directions: soak lotus seed and lily bulb overnight in water. Wash all ingredients except Goji berries and put into a large pot with lotus seed and lily bulb and cover with 3 liters water. Bring to boil, remove scum, then simmer for 2 hours covered. In the last 5 or 10 minutes, add the Goji berries. Serve. Add rock sugar or Honey to taste.
6. Eight Treasure Clear the Heat Congree
Red Bean (Hong Dou)
Green (Mung) Bean (Lu Dou)
Small Red Bean (Chi Xiao Dou)
Dolichos Bean (Bian Dou)
Fox Nut (Euryale, Qian Shi)
Job’s Tears (Yi Yi Ren), of each, 30 grams
Chinese Red Dates (Da Zao)
Longan dried pulp (Long Yan Rou), of each, 10 pieces
Polished Round Rice (Da Mi), 200 grams
Brown Sugar to taste
Directions:
1. Rinse the first 6 ingredients well, then soak for 30 minutes, drain.
2. Rinse the dates, longan and Rice, drain.
3. Add all ingredients except Sugar to 2 liters of Water, bring to Boil.
4. Cook 1–1½ hours, or until tender.
5. Add sugar to taste.
Function:
Strengthens Stomach and Spleen, tonifies Qi and Blood, clears Heat and Toxin.
The secret to cooking a good congee is slow cooking. It is pretty simple to cook, but is best cooked slowly.
In rural China, a pot with the ingredients is often put on top of a wood fire stove before bed where it slowly cooks overnight.
Wash everything well, and any beans or grains are soaked and rinsed. Usually, 1 cup of Rice will be cooked in 4–6 or 8 cups of water; the more water, the softer the rice and more soup-like. Less water gives the consistency of a porridge.