Longan and red date glutinous rice (桂圆红枣糯米饭)
gui yuan hong zao nuo mi fan (桂圆红枣糯米饭)
Sticky glutinous rice steamed with dried longan and red dates, lightly sweet and warming. A comforting confinement treat for the settling weeks.
Longan and red dates are the signature warming, blood nourishing pair of the confinement pantry, most often simmered into teas and sweet soups. Here they are folded into soft, sticky glutinous rice for something more like a gentle pudding.
Why this dish
Dried longan brings a warm, honeyed sweetness the tradition prizes, and red dates echo it, both regarded as nourishing to the blood. Steamed into glutinous rice with a little rock sugar and goji, they make a comforting bowl for the settling weeks, best kept small since the rice is dense and filling.
Steaming it well
Soak the glutinous rice properly first; it is the difference between tender and stodgy. Steam it in a bowl rather than a colander so it keeps its moisture and the fruit stays put, and stir the goji through only at the end for colour.
For where a warming treat fits, see how the 30 days are structured.
The recipe
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Serves
- 4 as a treat
Why this ingredient
Dried longan (桂圆)
The dried flesh of the longan fruit, dark and chewy with a warm, honeyed sweetness. It is one of the most emblematic confinement ingredients, valued in the tradition as warming and nourishing to the blood and the heart. A small handful is enough to flavour a whole bowl of rice.
Why this ingredient
Red date (红枣)
The dried jujube, sweet and mild, is the constant companion of longan in confinement cooking and is regarded in the tradition as warming and blood nourishing. Tear or pit the dates before steaming so they soften into the rice and the stones can be left out.
Ingredients
- 200 g glutinous rice, soaked for 2 hours Soaking is what lets it steam to a tender, even stickiness; do not skip it.
- 40 g dried longan flesh Its warm, smoky sweetness perfumes the whole bowl.
- 6 red dates, pitted and torn Pitting them keeps the stones out of the finished rice.
- 1 tablespoon goji berries Stirred through near the end for colour.
- 1 tablespoon rock sugar, or to taste A little sweetness; the dried fruit already brings plenty.
- 150 ml water Just enough to steam the soaked rice tender.
Method
- 1 Soak the glutinous rice for at least 2 hours, then drain.
- 2 Combine the drained rice with the longan, torn red dates, rock sugar and water in a heatproof bowl.
- 3 Steam over strong heat for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the rice is tender and sticky.
- 4 Stir the goji through in the last few minutes of steaming.
- 5 Fluff gently and serve warm, in small bowls.
Notes and substitutions
- Soak the glutinous rice for at least 2 hours, or overnight, for an even, tender result.
- Steam in a heatproof bowl rather than a colander, so the rice keeps its moisture and the fruit stays in.
- Stir the goji through only in the last few minutes so it keeps its colour.
Before you cook this
- Glutinous rice is dense and filling, and can sit heavily; keep to small bowls, especially if digestion still feels delicate.
- This is a sweet treat, so it is best enjoyed occasionally rather than as a daily staple.
Common questions
Why glutinous rice rather than ordinary rice?
Glutinous rice steams up soft and sticky, which gives this dish its comforting, pudding-like character and lets it hold the longan and dates together. Ordinary rice stays separate and dry by comparison, so it does not give the same result.
Is this eaten as a dessert or a meal?
It sits somewhere between the two. In confinement it is usually eaten as a warming, nourishing treat in a small bowl, rather than as a main, since the longan, dates and sticky rice make it both sweet and filling.