Gaoliang Zhou

Northern Chinese red sorghum congee: silky, slightly violet-toned, and long-cooked to a silken porridge, served at breakfast with fermented black bean paste, pickled vegetables, and sesame oil

Origin: Liaoning and Manchuria, northeastern China

From the journey of Sorghum.

Gaoliang (高粱, 'high beam') is the Mandarin name for sorghum, a grain that found its most enduring Chinese home in the cold, flat farmlands of Manchuria: the northeastern region encompassing Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang provinces, where the continental climate with its harsh winters and hot, dry summers suits the crop's requirements better than the wetter south. Before rice arrived in the north, before wheat cultivation was widespread in the Manchurian interior, gaoliang fed the farming communities of the Great Wall hinterland through winters of particular severity, and its role as the raw material for baijiu distillation (which began in earnest from the 12th century onward) made it the most commercially significant grain of northeastern China. Gaoliang zhou (高粱粥, red sorghum congee) is the traditional Manchurian breakfast: whole sorghum kernels or cracked sorghum cooked in a large quantity of water for 45–60 minutes until they burst and swell into a thick, creamy, slightly violet-pink porridge, enriched with a small amount of glutinous rice for additional body and served with the quartet of Manchurian table condiments that define the regional breakfast: fermented black bean paste (douchi, the pungent, salty fermented soybean condiment that is the backbone of Chinese northern cooking), pickled vegetables (paocai, quick-pickled cabbage or radish with salt and chilli), sesame oil, and a soft-boiled or century egg alongside. The congee is warming and nourishing in the manner specifically required by the Manchurian agricultural calendar: eaten before the morning farm work begins, designed to sustain physical effort through a long working day in cold conditions. Gaoliang zhou has the characteristic earthiness and mild tannin astringency of sorghum, a quality that the Manchurian palate considers evidence of the grain's nutritional potency and that the master distillers of Moutai and Wuliangye consider the irreplaceable flavour foundation of fine baijiu.

Ingredients

Congee

200 g whole red sorghum grain (gaoliang; available at Chinese grocery stores)
50 g glutinous rice (sticky rice), soaked with the sorghum
1.5 litres water
0.5 tsp fine salt

Condiments

4 tbsp fermented black bean paste (douchi or doubanjiang; adjust to taste)
100 g paocai (Chinese pickled cabbage or radish) or kimchi
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 stalks spring onion, finely sliced
4 whole soft-boiled eggs or century eggs (optional)

Method

Rinse the sorghum grain and glutinous rice together. Soak in cold water for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Drain before cooking.
Place the soaked grains in a large pot with 1.5 litres of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a very gentle simmer. Cover partially (leaving a small gap for steam to escape) and cook for 45–60 minutes, stirring every 10–15 minutes, until the sorghum grains have burst, softened completely, and the congee has a creamy, slightly viscous consistency.
Add the salt and stir through. Taste: the congee should be mild, slightly earthy, and faintly sweet from the glutinous rice. If too thick, add hot water and stir; the congee will continue to thicken off the heat.
A pressure cooker can be used to dramatically reduce the cooking time: cook on high pressure for 25 minutes, then allow a natural release. The texture is excellent and the time is approximately a third of the stovetop method.
Ladle the congee into deep bowls. Top each bowl with a tablespoon of fermented black bean paste stirred into the surface (or placed to the side), a small mound of pickled vegetables, a drizzle of sesame oil, and sliced spring onion.
Serve the soft-boiled or century egg alongside, if using. Century egg can be quartered and arranged on the congee; the contrast of the silky, dark egg against the pale purple-grey congee is the traditional Manchurian presentation.

Notes

Whole red sorghum grain (gaoliang) has a distinct purple-pink colour that deepens as the congee cooks. The finished congee should be a soft violet-grey; this is entirely natural and is the colour that Manchurian cooks expect. White sorghum grain can be substituted if red is unavailable, producing a paler, slightly milder congee. The sorghum grain sold at Chinese grocery stores and online is often the red variety used for baijiu production; any variety works for congee. The addition of glutinous rice is traditional; it contributes stickiness and sweetness. A small amount of dried jujube (red dates) or goji berries is sometimes added in the last 15 minutes of cooking for sweetness and colour.

The Gastrographer

Name: Gaoliang Zhou
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 5 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: northeastern China
Ingredients: 200 g whole red sorghum grain (gaoliang; available at Chinese grocery stores); 50 g glutinous rice (sticky rice), soaked with the sorghum; 1.5 litres water; 0.5 tsp fine salt; 4 tbsp fermented black bean paste (douchi or doubanjiang; adjust to taste); 100 g paocai (Chinese pickled cabbage or radish) or kimchi; 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil; 2 stalks spring onion, finely sliced; 4 whole soft-boiled eggs or century eggs (optional)

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control