Laba porridge

The eighth day of the twelfth month of the Chinese lunar calendar marks the Laba Festival （臘八节）, traditionally a day when people eat Laba porridge.
My friend Xiao An taught me how to make it. There are many regional variations and personal styles, so this is just an example. basically, it consists of a mix of eight different grains (the ba in Laba means eight), cooked together to make a multi-flavoured porridge. Sometimes dried fruits are added. We went to the market to buy the ingredients, pictured above.
Top row, left to right: split mung beans （绿豆 - lǜdòu）, red beans （红豆 - hóngdòu）, wheat （小麦 - xiǎomài）.
Second row: red dates （红栆 hóngzǎo）, bamboo beans （竹豆 zhúdòu）, peanuts （花生 - huāshēng), black rice （黑米 - hēimǐ）.
Bottom row: palm sugar （红糖 - hóngtáng）, millet （小米 - xiǎomǐ）, pearl barley （薏仁米 - yìrénmǐ）.
The procedure is simple: just cook all ingredients together with plenty of water, for several hours, while stirring frequently. That last part went wrong, so my Laba burned, sadly. My thin stainless steel pot does not spread the heat well, and I didn't stir it enough. It's still edible, but the carbon smell is impossible to ignore, and spoils the distinguished flavour of my Laba porridge. A lesson learned, better luck next time.