Eating melon congee in the summer has the effects of stimulating the appetite, aiding digestion, clearing heat and detoxifying, and dispelling summer heat. Here are the recipes for several types of melon congee. Cucumber Congee:
200 grams of cucumber, remove the stem, peel, and deseed, then wash; 100 grams of japonica rice (or glutinous rice), cook with water until it's almost congee, then add the cucumber and cook for a moment longer before serving. Cucumber can slow down the intestine's absorption of sugar, relieve thirst, and lower blood sugar and blood lipids. Watermelon Congee:
When 100 grams of japonica rice (or glutinous rice) is almost cooked, add 500 grams of seeded and cubed watermelon pulp, and bring to a boil for a moment longer before serving. Eating watermelon congee often can stimulate the appetite, aid digestion, promote the production of body fluids, dispel summer heat, clear heat and toxins, and prevent the acidification of the blood. Loofah Congee:
100 grams of japonica rice (or glutinous rice) cooked with water, when it's almost congee, add 250 grams of peeled, washed, and cubed loofah, and bring to a boil for a moment longer before serving. This congee has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, promoting the production of body fluids to quench thirst, and relieving cough and reducing phlegm. It is also an excellent dietary supplement for those with sores, carbuncles, and unresolved heat toxins. Bitter Melon Congee:
When 100 grams of japonica rice (or glutinous rice) is almost cooked, add 200 grams of washed and cubed bitter melon, and cook for a moment longer before serving. Bitter melon can clear internal heat, remove summer heat, promote gastric juice secretion, increase appetite, and enhance the body's immunity. Winter Melon Congee:
250 grams of winter melon, wash, cut into pieces with the skin on; 100 grams of japonica rice (or glutinous rice) cooked with water, when it's almost congee, add the winter melon, and cook for a moment longer before serving. Winter melon has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, promoting urination, reducing swelling, resolving phlegm, and stopping cough. Its light flavor can nourish the spleen and promote its healthy function of transportation and transformation.