“The Great Heat arrives, the summer is in full swing.” Although the Great Heat is the twelfth solar term in the twenty-four solar terms and the last solar term in summer, it does not mean that summer is about to end. Instead, it signifies that the hottest time of the year is approaching. At the same time, rainfall, thunderstorms, and typhoon weather will become more frequent and intense, resulting in a peak of humid and hot weather.
In this humid and hot environment, many people may inevitably feel overwhelmed, with an inexplicable sense of fatigue and irritability surrounding them. However, there is no need to worry too much. By adjusting the diet according to the characteristics of the solar term, most of the discomfort can be eliminated.
It is recommended that after entering the Great Heat, remember to eat more meat (2) and more vegetables (3). Most of these meats and vegetables are seasonal ingredients, suitable for consumption in the Great Heat season. They can replenish a lot of nutrients for the body and help alleviate the discomfort caused by the summer heat, helping people to smoothly pass through the hottest period of the year.
Eat Meat (2):
1. Eat Duck
It is said, “Prevent bitterness in summer by eating more duck.” Ducks, which live long in water and by the water, have meat that is relatively cool in nature. Eating more duck meat in summer can nourish the body and prevent heat and relieve heat.
Duck meat has a high protein content and moderate fat content. Consuming it in summer can help enhance physical strength, improve appetite, especially when paired with sour plum sauce. The tender, fragrant duck meat combined with sweet and sour plum sauce is appetizing and enjoyed by people of all ages.
Recommended recipe: [Sour Plum Duck]
Ingredients: Duck meat, sour plum sauce, garlic, ginger
Step 1: Cut half a duck into two halves, knead and soak in water with salt and cooking wine, then wash it after soaking for fifteen minutes.
Step 2: Drain the duck meat, marinate with dark soy sauce for color, and prepare garlic and ginger pieces.
Step 3: Scoop out four spoons of sour plum sauce into a bowl, then add oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, light soy sauce, and salt, mix well.
Step 4: Heat oil in a pan, stir-fry ginger and garlic until golden brown, add the duck meat and fry until both sides are golden brown, then pour in the sauce.
Step 5: Add ginger and garlic pieces, a little rock sugar, some hot water, simmer for half an hour.
Step 6: After reducing the sauce, place the chopped duck meat on a plate, pour the remaining sauce over the duck meat, sprinkle with white sesame seeds, and serve.
2. Eat Lamb
In many regions such as North China, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Fujian, it is a custom to “drink hot lamb” on the day of the Great Heat, which refers to drinking lamb soup. Despite lamb being a warm-hot food, drinking a bowl of lamb soup can help the body sweat quickly, expelling the cold and dampness that has accumulated due to air conditioning and consuming cold drinks.
After sweating, the body’s temperature will be balanced, making people feel less hot. The ancients summarized this custom as “using heat to eliminate heat,” so it is also advisable to occasionally buy and eat lamb during the Great Heat, or drink lamb mixed organ soup.
Recommended recipe: [Lamb Organ Soup]
Ingredients: Lamb face meat, lamb liver, lamb fat, garlic, ginger, celery, spring onion
Step 1: Cut the slightly cooked lamb face meat and lamb liver into pieces, slice the ginger, peel and crush the garlic lightly, then cut some spring onions and celery into pieces.
Step 2: Bring water to a boil, add the lamb organs in cold water, then add ginger, spring onion, and celery pieces, bring to a boil and scoop out to remove excess water.
Step 3: Heat a wok with a little oil, stir-fry garlic until fragrant, add the lamb organs and stir-fry for five minutes, then add a piece of lamb fat to melt.
Step 4: Pour in boiling water to cover the lamb, add two pieces of Angelica sinensis, cover and simmer for five minutes.
Step 5: Slowly simmer until the soup turns milky white, transfer to a cooking pot, cover, and simmer for twenty minutes, season with salt, monosodium glutamate, and coriander in a bowl, then serve the lamb organ soup.
Eat Vegetables (3):
1. Eat Luffa
Midsummer is the season when a large number of fruits and vegetables are on the market. Vegetables and fruits in summer have a high water content. Eating more of them in hot weather can help replenish the body with water, relieve heat, especially it is recommended to buy and consume more luffa.
In addition to its ample water content, luffa also contains a large amount of vitamin C, which is beneficial for immunity and skin health.
Recommended recipe: [Steamed Luffa with Sliced Meat]
Ingredients: Luffa, pork shank, garlic, ginger, Sichuan pepper, shallots
Step 1: Peel and slice the luffa, soak it in lightly salted water, finely chop garlic, slice ginger, chop shallots, and slice the Sichuan pepper rings.
Step 2: Slice the pork shank, marinate with ginger slices, shallot, and cooking wine, then add light soy sauce, starch, a pinch of salt, and ground pepper.
Step 3: Mix well, drizzle with a spoon of oil, marinate for fifteen minutes. Arrange the luffa slices on a plate and lay the pork slices on top.
Step 4: Heat oil in a pan, sauté garlic until fragrant, pour in two spoons of steamed fish soy sauce, stir well, then pour it over the meat slices.
Step 5: Place the luffa and pork slices in a steamer, steam over high heat for ten minutes when steaming starts, remove and garnish with shallots, Sichuan pepper, and drizzle with hot oil.
2. Eat Water Spinach
The Great Heat season is the perfect time to eat water spinach. The water spinach at this time is fresh and nutritious, especially rich in potassium, containing as much as 212 mg of potassium per one hundred grams.
Consuming it can promptly replenish the potassium lost in the body due to sweating, allowing the body to remain full of vitality even in the hot summer. Eating water spinach frequently in summer can also prevent heat and relieve summer heat, benefiting the body in multiple ways.
Recommended recipe: [Stir-Fried Water Spinach]
Ingredients: Water spinach, garlic, dried chili
Step 1: Remove old stems from water spinach, wash and cut into long pieces, prepare chopped dried chili and minced garlic.
Step 2: In a bowl, pour in two spoons of light soy sauce, one spoon of vinegar, add salt, chicken essence, sugar, mix with water.
Step 3: Heat oil in a frying pan, sauté garlic and dried chili until fragrant.
Step 4: Pour in the prepared sauce, then quickly add the water spinach.
Step 5: Stir-fry for half a minute until the water spinach softens, then remove from heat and transfer to a plate.
3. Eat Crown Daisy
Crown Daisy was once known as the “Emperor’s vegetable” in ancient times. Its unique fragrance when consumed during the hot summer days can help restore the appetite. Moreover, Crown Daisy is a cold property food, eating it in summer can help reduce heat, dryness, and improve sleep quality. It is recommended to buy and stir-fry Crown Daisy several times during the Great Heat season.
Recommended recipe: [Stir-Fried Crown Daisy with Meat]
Ingredients: Crown Daisy, sliced pork, garlic, shallots, dried chili
Step 1: Wash the Crown Daisy, cut into long pieces, prepare garlic slices, chili slices, and chopped shallots.
Step 2: Heat oil in a wok, add the sliced pork and stir-fry until the fat is released. Pour in a spoon of cooking wine, add chopped shallots, garlic, and dried chilies to remove the fishy smell.
Step 3: Add a spoon of light soy sauce and half a spoon of dark soy sauce, stir-fry the meat until colored, then add the Crown Daisy stalks and stir-fry.
Step 4: After stir-frying the Crown Daisy stalks until slightly soft, add the Crown Daisy leaves, a spoon of oyster sauce, a pinch of salt, and chicken essence, stir well and serve.
——Old Well’s Advice——
During the hot season of the Great Heat, many people feel agitated and have decreased appetite. Therefore, it is essential to adjust one’s emotions in a timely manner. You can take deep breaths more often, or take a walk in the park or square at night to breathe fresh air. Do not let negative emotions dominate you, as it can be detrimental to your health. Additionally, if appetite is low, try to ensure that you are eating to about seventy percent full each meal to avoid nutritional deficiencies, as long-term insufficient nutrition can lead to illness.
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