Keeping Cool

譚云飛

A summer dessert thats a “life-saver” for Hainan residents

海南甜品清補涼：許你清涼一夏

“Nectar from coconut trees， collected in a bowl of jade-white aroma，” exclaimed poet and foodie Su Shi （蘇軾） of the Song dynasty （960 – 1279）， also known as Su Dongpo （蘇東坡）， after tasting coconut milk for the first time in the 11th century on the southern island of Hainan.

The fruit was said to be a comfort food for Su， ousted from his government post by a rival court faction and exiled to one of the empires southernmost outposts. Today， coconuts continue to be a cheap， nourishing treat in this tropical holiday paradise， many enjoying its milk in qing bu liang （清補涼）， a dessert locals dub a “life-preserving” necessity in the scorching summer.

Qing bu liangs name speaks for itself when it comes to merits and popularity—it literally means “refreshing， nourishing， cool.” Typical ingredients include mung bean， pearl barley， red jujube， seasonal fruits， syrup， ice， and sometimes milk， all cooked up in a sweet and tasty porridge.

One folk story says the name of the dessert was given by General Zhao Tuo （趙佗） of the Qin dynasty （221 – 206 BCE）， who led soldiers from the Central Plains in battles against ethnic groups in the Lingnan region （including present-day Guangdong， Guangxi， and Hainan）. The army was not used to hot and humid weather， and many soldiers came down with a panoply of tropical diseases. The military doctor used a mix of ground herbs， lotus seeds， dried lily bulb， pearl barley， and Chinese yam to revive their health. When General Zhao tasted the concoction， he commented， “This food should be called qing bu liang， since it can [help] dispel heat and strengthen vitality.”

People in Guangdong， Hong Kong， and Macau have been drinking qing bu liang ever since， often adding supplements like foxnuts， longan， and even chicken and pork. Its believed to dispel heat and damp， strengthen the spleen， and nourish the lungs. Hainans qing bu liang combines the Cantonese version with shuiguo lao （水果撈）， a dessert that soaks fruit in milk or yogurt. A cup of Hainanese qing bu liang could hold dozens of different ingredients： bean jelly， watermelon， mango， coconut meat （or dried coconut shavings）， cooked mung bean， red bean， taro， quail eggs…anything the chef can think of. Its all combined with brown sugar syrup， ice， coconut water or coconut milk， and sometimes a few scoops of ice cream to top the thing off.

Theres a qing bu liang shop on every street corner across the province， with flavors and ingredients varying from shop to shop. For first-time visitors to the capital city， Haikou， the night market by the south gate of Hainan University， and the Historic Qilou Streets （騎樓老街） around Zhongshan Road are highly recommended sampling spots.

Steps：

1. Soak the mung beans and pearl barley in water for an hour. Cook them in a pressure cooker for half an hour， and then set aside to drain and cool.

2. Wash the red kidney beans and red jujube. Boil them for 15 minutes， and set aside to drain and cool.

3. Heat the milk and coconut milk together on low heat and stir the liquid for 2 to 3 minutes. Then place in the fridge to cool for 15 minutes.

4. Cut the watermelon， mango， and bean jelly into small cubes.

5. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl， and pour in the cold milk and coconut milk.

6. Garnish with peanuts， dried coconut shavings， and ice cream.

Ingredients：

30g red kidney beans 紅蕓豆

30g mung beans 綠豆

30g pearl barley 薏米

20g bean jelly 涼粉

20g red jujubes 紅棗

10g crushed roasted peanuts 花生碎

10g dried coconut shavings 椰絲

A piece of watermelon 西瓜

Half a mango 芒果

70g coconut milk， cold 椰漿

200ml pure milk， cold 純牛奶

2 scoops of ice cream 冰激凌球