Five Summer Melons to Beat the Heat
Staying in an air-conditioned room all day only cools your skin's surface. To reduce internal body heat, the five summer fruits and vegetables we introduce can be a great help.
Cucumber
Cucumbers originally came from the Western Regions and were brought to the Central Plains by the Han Dynasty envoy Zhang Qian. They quickly adapted to the environment and became widely cultivated, making them one of the most common vegetables today.
Nutrition: Many people love cucumbers for their refreshing taste, but they may not know that they are rich in vitamin E, which has anti-aging properties. This is easy to understand when you consider that women use cucumber slices on their faces.
Purchase: When selecting a cucumber, first look at its shape—a straight, even one is best. Then, check its color—a vibrant green with a light white powder on the skin indicates freshness.
Price: Approximately 3-4 yuan per kilogram.
Cooking: Cut the cucumber into strips of suitable size and soak them in ice water. At the same time, place some mustard and light soy sauce in a small dish to make a dish of chilled mustard cucumber strips.
Winter Melon
Winter melon is the aptly named "summer melon" because it is harvested in the summer. It is especially suitable for picking on sunny days because its fruit is covered in a white powder, resembling the frost formed in winter, hence the name "winter melon."
Nutrition: The cooling nature of winter melon helps to clear heat and detoxify in the summer. This function is achieved by the amino acids abundant in winter melon, which help expel ammonia toxins from the body.
Purchase: Winter melons are classified by their skin color into green-skinned, black-skinned, and white-skinned types, varying in size and shape. The key to selecting one is to lift it; if it feels heavy, it means the flesh is dense and won't turn mushy when cooked. Also, check for spots on the skin; if there are any, it's of lower quality.
Price: Approximately 2-3 yuan per kilogram.
Cooking: Winter melon is versatile and suitable for various cooking methods: stir-fried with pork slices, it's a delicious home-cooked dish; stewed with pork ribs and coix seed, it clears heat and detoxifies; boiled with snow fungus or kelp to make a sweet soup, chilled and consumed as a late-night snack, it is a authentic Cantonese "Qingbuliao."
Bitter Melon
With its wrinkled and bitter-looking appearance, it tastes bitter yet slightly sweet, truly living up to the saying "good medicine tastes bitter." Fresh bitter melon is an excellent summer vegetable for clearing summer heat, and when dried, it can also be used as medicine.
Nutrition: Bitter melon is rich in vitamins B and C, but what interests women more is its fat-clearing element, which is why eating raw bitter melon has become a weight-loss trick. However, bitter melon is cooling in nature and should not be consumed by pregnant women.
Purchase: When selecting a bitter melon, observe its fruit bumps (its uneven surface). Large, full bumps indicate thick flesh. At the same time, the skin of a fresh bitter melon is smooth and shiny.
Price: Approximately 7-8 yuan per kilogram.
Cooking: Not everyone can handle eating bitter melon raw. Fortunately, it can be stir-fried or stuffed. However, to best utilize its heat-clearing and eye-brightening properties, you might want to try making your own bitter melon iced tea.
Luffa
Luffas are generally divided into two types: common luffa and ridged luffa. The former has a thin, smooth skin, while the latter has a thick, rough skin with seven ridges. It is more commonly grown in the Guangdong region and is called "shenggua" (victorious melon) there. It is also called "shuigua" (water melon) in some places.
Nutrition: Luffa contains a high amount of vitamins B and C, which is beneficial for skin whitening and anti-aging. Moreover, luffa is juicy and has a light, sweet taste after cooking. In addition to being cooked as a vegetable, its parts, such as the loofah sponge, can be used for medicinal purposes.
Purchase: The feel is an important criterion for judging the freshness of a luffa. Choose one that is firm to the touch, not soft and limp.