What soups to drink in summer to clear heat and relieve summer heat
Soups in summer should be light and refreshing. If summer heat damages fluids causing vexation and thirst, you can choose:
1. Winter Melon and Coix Seed Sweet Water
Use one jin (500g) of fresh old winter melon (with skin), three liang (150g) of raw coix seed, and an appropriate amount of yellow rock sugar. First, wash the old winter melon, cut it into large pieces, and add it with the washed raw coix seed to a clay pot to simmer for one hour. Then add the yellow rock sugar and serve when ready to drink. In this soup, the old winter melon is sweet, light, and slightly cold, functioning to clear heat, relieve summer heat, and promote fluid production to quench thirst. Raw coix seed is bland and promotes urination to drain dampness. Yellow rock sugar clears heat and promotes fluid production. When used together, they can relieve summer heat, clear heat, and eliminate summer dampness.
2. Lotus Leaf, Winter Melon, and Old Duck Soup
Use one fresh lotus leaf, one to one and a half jin (500-750g) of fresh old winter melon, and half a jin (250g) of old drake meat. Wash the three ingredients, place them together in a clay pot, add an appropriate amount of clear water to make a soup, season with salt, and drink the soup while eating the winter melon and duck meat. In this soup, the fresh lotus leaf clears summer heat and promotes urination to drain dampness; winter melon clears heat and relieves summer heat; and the old drake can nourish yin, nourish blood, benefit the stomach, and promote fluid production. The combination of the three can both clear summer heat, relieve dampness, and benefit the stomach to promote fluids.
3. Gypsum, Tofu, and Dried Cabbage Soup
Use two pieces of raw gypsum, half a jin (250g) of fresh tofu, and three liang (150g) of dried cabbage. First, slightly crush the gypsum. Then, wash the dried cabbage and soak it for a short time. Place the three ingredients together in a clay pot with an appropriate amount of clear water and simmer. Simmer until the tofu develops honeycomb-like small holes. Add a little salt for seasoning and drink the soup.
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