China · Other regional

Rice Paste Soup

The seventh of the twelve bowls, in the wu position and the thinnest of this table's 'half thin, half dry' porridges. This version follows a published rice-milk method: rice is washed and blended with water into a slurry, then cooked to a paste and sweetened, or served plain, with a texture thinner than the yam soup — which is why the source says chopsticks and spoons are used together: the spoon for the paste, the chopsticks to carry it. Public reference, home adaptation; not a historical original.

30 minutes · 6 servings · Easy

Rice Paste Soup

Public reference · Home adaptation The name says the method: 'paste' and 'flour', a rice broken down and cooked until there is no grain left. It sits in the wu position between the yam soup and the zi cake — a pale soup, then a sweet cake, with a bowl of the thinnest paste between them to vary the textures of the table. The source's note that chopsticks and spoons are used together is illustrated most plainly by this bowl: the spoon gets it into the mouth, the chopsticks carry the last of the thickness. The menu source is the Xuancheng municipal government's 'Maolin twelve bowls banquet', which records dish names and serving order only (wu-rice paste soup) and no method, and does not say whether it is sweet or savoury or what it is served with. **The source records only the dish name and its place; this version's technique comes from a published rice-milk method and has no correspondence to the Maolin twelve-bowls kitchen. It is not a historical original.** The reference states: first rub the red skins off roasted peanuts (raw peanuts may be roasted in an oven or dry-fried in a wok until the skins split, to bring out the aroma); mix the skinned peanuts with rice and wash it twice; put it in a blender with 900 g water (to the 1200 ml mark), run the 'five-grain soy milk' programme, then open the lid, add caster sugar and pulse for ten seconds. **That reference is a drinkable rice milk — peanuts plus rice plus water, blended and sweetened. For the banquet reading of 'rice paste' as a thin porridge, this version pours the slurry into a pan and cooks it to a paste before serving; cooking it into a porridge is an editorial step taken because of the dish name, and is recorded by neither the banquet source nor the method reference — stated here. The reference's peanuts and sugar are kept as optional.** The ratio of sugar to water, and whether to salt, are editorial settings and this has not been kitchen-tested. On the table: the source's 'half thin and half dry, half water and half mountain' places this with the yam soup among the thin dishes, but one stage thinner — the thinnest end of 'half thin'. Vegetarian: no meat, egg, milk or shellfish. If peanuts are included as the reference does, the dish contains peanuts, a common allergen; leave them out for a plain rice paste. It contains sugar, so reduce it or use a sweetener if you are managing blood sugar. Rice slurry must be brought to a full boil and cooked through; raw rice slurry is not drinkable. AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of a kitchen-tested dish. 茂林十二碗宴席（宣城市人民政府，2023-02-13，信息来源：市文旅局） — Menu basis: it records 'half thin and half dry, half water and half mountain' and 'chopsticks and spoons used together, filling and moistening', and lists 'wu-rice paste soup' in serving order. It records dish names and order only, with no methods and no statement of sweet or savoury. https://www.xuancheng.gov.cn/News/show/634526.html 皖美宝藏小城丨食遇泾县（泾县人民政府·泾县文化旅游） — Jing County corroboration: the Maolin twelve bowls are 'all different, alternating meat and vegetables, thick and light' and the centrepiece for weddings, new year and banquets; it also records Jing County pastries and Yunling rice crisps, baked on wood stoves in large pans, as a reference for rice products at southern Anhui tables. It records no method for rice paste soup. https://www.ahjx.gov.cn/News/show/1698460.html 下厨房：米浆 — The method: 15 g roasted peanuts, 60 g rice, 900 g water and 35 g caster sugar. First prepare roasted peanuts and rub off the red skins — if the peanuts are raw they can be roasted in an oven until fragrant, and since the quantity is small, roast extra for another time; then mix the skinned peanuts with rice and wash it twice; put it in the blender jug, add 900 g water (to the 1200 ml mark on the jug), run the five-grain soy milk programme, then open the lid, add the caster sugar and pulse for ten seconds. https://m.xiachufang.com/recipe/103480430/

Ingredients

  • rice150 g
  • roasted peanuts, skins rubbed off, optional30 g
  • water, for blending and cooking1200 ml
  • caster or rock sugar40 g
  • salt, for a savoury serving2 g

Directions

  1. 1

    Wash the rice twice and mix it with the peanuts, if using; roast the peanuts first and rub off the skins so the aroma comes through.

  2. 2

    Blend the rice with water into a slurry: about 900 ml water to the mark in the jug, run the five-grain programme, then, if sweetening, open the lid, add the sugar and pulse for ten seconds.

  3. 3

    Pass the slurry through a fine sieve to remove unblended grains — any grit left means it is not a smooth paste.

  4. 4

    Bring a pan of water to the boil and pour in the slurry in a slow stream while stirring, to keep it from catching.

  5. 5

    Turn down to low and stir continuously for about ten minutes, watching as it thickens: stop when it coats a spoon but still pours; add warm water if it goes too thick.

  6. 6

    For a sweet serving, stir in the sugar and cook two minutes more; for a savoury one use salt instead, a little at a time so it does not override the rice aroma.

  7. 7

    Skim, turn off the heat and ladle into bowls with both spoons and chopsticks; serve hot, as it sets as it cools.

Source: WorldBite · public-reference adaptation · Source-attributed editorial adaptation; AI illustration; not an authenticated original recipe.