The hottest time of summer has come to an end, but it still feels hot outside. Here are some treats to cool off at the dinner table.
1. Bitter melon (苦瓜, kǔ guā)
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In traditional Chinese medicine (传统中医理论, chuán tǒng zhōng yī lǐ lùn), it's believed that eating bitter food in summer (夏天吃苦味的食物, xià tiān chī kǔ wèi de shí wù) can help relieve inner heat (清内热, qīng nèi rè) in the human body. When the weather is sizzling and people lose their appetite for hot dishes, cold bitter melon in sauce can be a soothing choice. The vegetable is also able to improve blood circulation (促进血液循环, cù jìn xuè yè xún huán) and help decrease blood sugar levels (降低血糖水平, jiàng dī xuè táng shuǐ píng).
2. Cucumbers (黄瓜, huáng guā)
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Sliced cucumbers, usually served with sesame oil (芝麻油, zhī ma yóu) and garlic (大蒜, dà suàn), is another popular cold dish (凉菜, liáng cài) in summer. Slice the cucumbers and add a sauce made with sesame oil, garlic and vinegar (醋, cù); then you can enjoy a cool and crunchy dish.
3. Ginger tea (姜茶, jiāng chá)
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In traditional Chinese medicine, eating ginger is believed to accelerate perspiration (增加排汗量, zēng jiā pái hàn liàng) to cool the body (降温退热, jiàng wēn tuì rè) and increase blood circulation (促进血液循环, cù jìn xuè yè xún huán).
4. Mung bean soup (绿豆汤, lǜ dòu tāng)
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Mung bean soup is a soothing sweet soup and dessert. In traditional Chinese medicine, mung beans are considered to have a "cooling" property (绿豆性寒, lǜ dòu xìng hán), and also are thought to be able to expel toxins from the human body (排出体内的毒素, pái chū tǐ nèi de dú sù). The beans are also a good source of protein (蛋白质, dàn bái zhì), vitamins (维生素, wéi shēng sù), fiber (纤维, xiān wéi) and minerals (矿物质, kuàng wù zhì).
5. Grass jelly (烧仙草, shāo xiān cǎo)
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Grass jelly is a jelly-like dessert originating in Taiwan and cities in southern China. The jelly has a translucent dark brown color and tastes slightly bitter. A typical jelly desert is served chilled in a bowl, sometimes with added fruits and peanuts. Jelly is also believed to be able to disperse inner heat (清除内热, qīng chú nèi rè).
6. Plum juice (酸梅汁, suān méi zhī)
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Syrup of plum, called suanmeitang in Chinese, is a kind of sweet and sour plum juice, available in many restaurants and juice shops across China.
来源：chinadaily.com.cn
编辑：万月英
