Speaking of our delicious food in Liyang, there are fish heads in Tianmu Lake casserole, three treasures in Liyang: meatballs, fried liver, peeled seeds in sauce, and fresh snails in paste. But what I introduce today is unique black rice.

Black rice was originally a folk food, which existed in the Tang Dynasty. On the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, it has become a custom for many people to cook black rice with black leaves. In China, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Anhui and other places, people still keep the custom of eating black rice in April of the lunar calendar. Some places eat it on the Qingming Cold Food Festival, while more people eat it on the eighth day of April.

so how is black rice cooked? The materials are glutinous rice, black leaves and water. First, cut off the branches and clean the old leaves of the ebony leaves, put them into a blender, and add clean water to crush them. Put the ebony leaves into the blender several times, and don't put too much at once, which is not easy to operate. Pour it into a big basin after it is done. The juice that has just been stirred is green. It will turn a little dark green with a little golden yellow after it is left for a while. Rubbing it with your hands several times from time to time can accelerate the color change, but remember to wear gloves, or your hands will be dyed black. Filter out the black leaf juice with a sieve, wash the glutinous rice with water and soak it in the black leaf juice. If the soaked glutinous rice needs to stay overnight, it is best to put it in the refrigerator because of the hot weather. When the white glutinous rice is dyed black, the black rice is ready. Wash the soaked glutinous rice with clear water a little, then add some water, which can cover the glutinous rice, and then steam it in a pot for about 3 minutes until it is fully cooked.