Hainan delicacies help people cool down during dog days

A Hainan mango and ice snack helps people cool off during the scorching heat. [Photo/Hainan Daily]

As the 40 dog days approach, the temperature of many places in China has risen up to 35 C. In Hainan, there are several foods made with special formulas to help people cool down during the scorching heat. Here are two delicacies you shouldn't miss in Hainan during summer.

Qingbuliang

Qingbuliang, or ching bo leung, is a dessert favored by most Hainan natives in the summer. To make a Qingbuliang, you need to put green beans, red beans, watermelons, tortoise jelly, adlay, tapioca pudding and raisins into a bowl, and then add some coconut juice and coconut milk. Then sprinkle some crushed peanuts on top of the mix to finish. These ingredients used to make Qingbuliang are expected to keep our spleen and stomach healthy, which means that this food has a medicinal origin. In the past, you could only buy qingbuliang from the small stalls, but now they are usually canned and available at online shops.

Chen Fen has sold qingbuliang in Haikou for many years. Apart from traditional qingbuliang, his stall near the south gate of Hainan University also provides coconut water qingbuliang, coconut milk qingbuliang coconut water, qingbuliang smoothies, and qingbuliang sugar water. His dishes are so popular that he sells 100 bowls every night.

Salty fruit water

Salty fruit water ranks first among all the popular drinks in Hainan with its unique combination of sweet, sour and salty flavors. Young people call it the "magic water in summer."

Dehuixuan is a famous drink bar in Haikou, and many customers wait in line to buy salty fruit water here even at 10:00 pm.

Born in a place filled with bountiful fruits, Hainan people have their own unique ways of tasting fruit. They eat fruit with chili and salt, which is a specialty. At the stalls on Tailongcheng Food Street in Haikou, pineapples, guavas, plums and mangos covered with salt and chili are placed in glass jars, beckoning passersby to have a try.

"Some netizens think this way of eating fruit is ridiculous," said Lu Min, a college student who was born in Hainan and is studying outside the province, "but it tastes much better than it seems. And for me, this flavor reminds me of my childhood and hometown."

People from different regions of Hainan prefer different foods to get through the summer heat. Apart from the aforementioned snacks, other popular choices include soft ice, fruit smoothies, Ji Shi Teng (black colored noodles made from a herbal plant), taro with coconut milk, mango rice noodle rolls and fruit tapioca pudding. Sweet potato bean jelly is one of Wanning people's favorite foods and people in Ding'an like eating Shuiba, which is made from fresh corn and can be eaten with brown sugar, honey and coconut water.