Every Chinese summer has its mung bean moment: a pot of beans simmered until they split, sweetened with rock sugar, served cold from the fridge or frozen into popsicles.
Mung bean is classified as sweet and cool, clearing heat from the Heart and Stomach. In the language of modern nutrition, it is a light, mineral-rich legume that hydrates without heaviness — which is exactly what a hot day demands.
Two Ways to Make It
The soup: one cup of mung beans, eight cups of water, simmered 40 minutes until the beans split, sweetened to taste. The popsicle: blend the finished soup and freeze — the traditional answer to a July afternoon.
Serve it alongside something hearty so the meal still balances: cooling and warming together, as the seasons themselves do.