Xiaomi Zhou

foxtail millet simmered slowly with water until soft, creamy, and golden, the gentle, restorative millet porridge of northern China, the everyday food of the convalescent and the new mother

Origin: China

From the journey of Millet.

Long before rice and wheat came to rule the Chinese table, millet was the grain of the north, and in its most comforting form it endures there still: xiaomi zhou, foxtail millet congee. Foxtail millet (xiaomi, 'little rice') was one of the founding grains of Chinese civilisation, domesticated in the Yellow River valley some eight thousand years ago, and the soft golden porridge made from it is among the most loved of all everyday Chinese foods. The tiny grains are simmered slowly in plenty of water, stirred now and then, until they collapse into a smooth, creamy, pale-gold gruel with a faint, nourishing sweetness and a skin of rich 'millet oil' (mi you) that rises to the top, prized as the most nourishing part. It is the quintessential restorative food: given to the convalescent, the elderly, and above all to new mothers during the month of confinement after childbirth, when warming, easily digested, blood-building foods are thought essential. Plain or stirred with a little sugar, a few jujubes, or a swirl of pumpkin, xiaomi zhou is comfort and care in a bowl, the gentle face of the grain that built the Chinese north.

Ingredients

The Congee

  • 150 g foxtail millet (xiaomi)
  • 1.5 litres water

Optional

  • 6 dried jujubes (red dates), optional

To Serve

  • sugar or rock sugar, to taste (optional)

Method

  1. Rinse the millet gently in a couple of changes of water and drain.
  2. Bring the water to a rolling boil in a heavy pot, then add the millet (and the jujubes, if using). Stir, and return to the boil.
  3. Lower the heat to a steady simmer and cook, uncovered or part-covered, for 40 to 45 minutes, stirring now and then, until the grains have burst and the porridge is thick, smooth, and creamy.
  4. Let it stand off the heat for a few minutes; a glossy skin of 'millet oil' will form on top, which is the prized, most nourishing part.
  5. Serve hot, plain for a savoury meal or sweetened with a little sugar for breakfast.

Notes

Foxtail millet (xiaomi) gives the classic golden congee; proso millet works too. A piece of pumpkin or sweet potato cooked in with the millet (xiaomi nangua zhou) is a popular variation, as are a handful of jujubes or goji berries. The ratio of grain to water sets the thickness; use more water for a thinner, drinkable congee.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

Mapping Culinary History

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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