The eighth day of the twelfth Chinese lunar month is commonly called "La Pa," or "the eighth day of the 'La' month." This was supposedly the day on which the Sakyamuni Buddha was enlightened. On this day, temples used various grains, legumes and fruits to prepare a "congee" or porridge to offer to the Buddha, and thus this dish came to be called "Buddha congee."
5/4C glutinous rice (also known as "sweet rice" or "mochi rice")*
1 C rock candy (or more or less to taste; granulated sugar may be substituted)
1/4 to 1/3 C each: Chinese red dates*; lotus seeds*; red "adzuki" beans*; mung beans*; raw blanched peanuts*; dried longan*; candied wintermelon*; dried lily seeds*; pignola nuts ("pine nuts")*. (Use what ingredients you can conveniently obtain--it is not essential that each one be included!)
water, as needed
1. Wash the glutinous rice. Wash the other ingredients (excepting the sugar, dried longan and candied wintermelon) and soak in the required amount of water for four hours.
2. Add all the ingredients except the sugar to a large pot, kettle or Dutch oven with a large amount of water, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to cook slowly. (Add extra water when necessary.) When all ingredients are cooked very soft (this will take several hours), add sugar to taste and serve.
*Available at Oriental groceries; some ingredients can also be found at health food stores or co-ops or specialty shops.
(translated by Karen Chung)
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