Chi fan le ma?

The coming Tuesday marks the enlightenment of Sakyamuni, the Indian prince who became a Buddha on the day. It was said that Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, attained his enlightened state with help from the bowl of congee he was offered to overcome exhaustion after his hard work.

Falling on the 8th day of the last month in the Chinese lunar calendar, this is a special day for the Chinese, called la ba.

La ba zhou, or eight-treasure congee, a Chinese rice gruel, will be distributed to visitors early on Tuesday morning at the Yonghegong Lama Temple, Guangji Temple, and a number of other Buddhist and Taoist temples in Beijing.

But apart from its religious significance, la ba zhou has already become a nutritious everyday food. A mixture of ingredients to make the assorted congee is sold at Chinese supermarkets, as well as at porridge restaurants in Beijing. There could be more than 20 ingredients in the congee, but some common ones are jujube, lotus seed, walnut, chestnut, apricot seed, pine nut, longan, hazelnut, dried grape, maidenhair tree seed, peanut and red beans, besides rice.

Restaurants offering la ba congee:

Hong Zhuang Yuan, Yansha branch 宏状元燕莎店

A long list of congee with ingredients including: preserved egg and pork slices, barley with yam and jujube, peanuts and chestnuts, vegetables, sweet potato, and pumpkin. English menu and color illustrations.

24 hours. 1/F Longbao Dasha, 36 Maizidian Jie, Chaoyang District. 6506-3858. 朝阳区麦子店街36号龙宝大厦1层

Bai Zhou Xiang East Plaza branch 百粥乡东环广场店

Rice congee with fish fillet, spinach, Cantonese barbeque pork, hawthorn fruit, yam with lotus seed, sweet potato or pumpkin. No English menu, but with illustrations.

24 hours. 1/F A Block, East Plaza, 9 Dongzhong Jie, Dongcheng District. 6418-5681. 东城区东中街9号东环广场A座1层

Beijing's top hotels are also in the festive mood. Here is my selection.

The Jianguo Hotel Beijing's Shang Court Chinese restaurant provides take-away Chinese set meals for the coming Chinese Spring Festival, which chefs and waiters will bring and serve at your home. Meal will feature Beijing style imperial family dim sum, and traditional foods and dishes for the festival. Starting from groups of more than 10 people. 6500-2233 Ext 8041

Tea & dim sum

China World Hotel's Lobby Lounge prepares Chinese gourmet desserts as well as tea on February 3, 10, 17, and 24, with classical music concert performances by a 25-piece orchestra. 6505-2266 Ext 37

Auspicious dishes

Elements at Hilton Beijing prepares a special commemorative buffet from February 4-13. Chef's menu features Chinese herb roasted goose, Yu Sheng salad, drunken prawns, crispy suckling pig, orange chocolate fountain with fruit and candy skewers, and traditional Beijing sweets. 5865-5240

Lucky hong bao

Gloria Plaza Hotel Beijing master chef He prepares auspicious specialties and set menus for the coming Spring Festival. With every meal there will be a hong bao (little red envelope with money) draw in the Sampan Restaurant from Jan 22-Feb 21. 6515-8855 Ext 2155

Holiday hampers

Hotel Kunlun offers Spring Festival hamper and dinner packages to usher in the Chinese New Year. Shanghai Flavor Restaurant will prepare an exquisite selection of seafood and shark's fin soup. 6590-3388 Ext 5218

Rice is nice

Rosedale Hotel & Suites make traditional Chinese rice cake, made with glutinous rice, red jujube, chufa, turnip or taro. The cake represents wishes for family reunion, and a good fortune in the New Year. Gift box and Chinese hampers are ready. 5960-2266

Time-honored taste

Golden Palace Restaurant at Hotel Nikko New Century Beijing provides traditional Beijing snacks such as glutinous rice cake with red bean, sauteed pork liver in brown sauce, in a family set menu from Feb 4-16. 6849-2001 Ext 81

(China Daily 01/12/2008 page6)