Suzhou has undergone the hot weather for half a month as of today (August 18). When will the hot weather come to an end?
According to Suzhou Municipal Meteorological Bureau, the city will continue to endure hot days with temperature at 35℃ (95℉) or even as high as 39℃ (102℉) before next Monday (August 24). Some certain parts of the city may expect thunderstorms from noon to midnight for this week. The sanfu days will end next Tuesday, as reported by the bureau. Will it be the end of the sunny dog days? Please stay tuned for latest weather forecast.
Here prepares you a list of Suzhou-style seasonal food that can help cool you down from the summer heat. Don’t let the hot weather spoil your appetite!
Sugary tremella soup with lotus seeds
Both tremella (snow/white fungus) and lotus seeds can keep you from the summer heat and nourish your skin. People also eat them to regain health after illness.
Mung bean soup
Suzhou-style mung bean soup consists of such ten ingredients as glutinous rice, mung beans, candied Chinese dates, raisins, etc. Just a glass of mung bean soup will cool you off from the summer heat!
Fan Cold Noodles
It’s best to have a bowl of Fan Cold Noodles (风扇凉面) when you have no appetite at lunchtime!
The noodles are small wide ones with egg liquid and alkaline water in it, therefore the color is yellowish. After the noodles are boiled in water, they are mixed with a little cooking oil and cooled by a fan. The most authentic version should also have rice wine sauce or shrimp seed soy sauce, which makes the noodles smooth, unsticky and chewy.
Garden Ice Cream
Suzhou Gardens have introduced a garden series of ice cream including chocolate flavor in shape of Jianshanlou of the Humble Administrator's Garden, milk flavor in shape of Guanyun Peak of the Lingering Garden, strawberry flavor in shape of Tiger Hill Pagoda, and Matcha flavor in shape of the Lion Grove Garden. Which one will be your favorite?
When you finish the ice cream, don't just throw the pack in the bin. As you unfold the pack, you will find it is a fancy postcard. Just share the fun of ice cream by posting it to someone else! Besides, you can also thread the small hole at the end of the ice cream stick and thus it will become a Suzhou-style book mark.
