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A BOWL of porridge made of rice and mung beans may offer a better relief from the summer heat than soda and other cold drinks.
Porridge ranks special in Chinese cuisine. Served at the breakfast and dinner tables of many Chinese families, it is considered one of the most nutritious foods.
Porridge helps the digestion, says the "Compendium of Materia Medica," an ancient medical encyclopaedia by Li Shizhen (1518-1593).
Not only is porridge the bearer of many traditional Chinese folk remedies, it even tastes good. Well, almost always -- depending on what you like.
There are many ways to make porridge. You can make it bland or sweet or salty. Common recipes mix rice, red and green mung beans, vegetables, fruits, flowers, fish and meat. In other words, if you can eat it, you can mix it in porridge.
Apart from plain rice porridge, the Chinese make different kinds of porridge for every season. Some of it may actually cure something.
In spring, there's shepherd's purse porridge. In summer, porridge of mung beans, and lotus roots are also popular. In autumn, porridge of the fruit of Chinese wolfberry is a favourite and in winter, the best selections are plum and laba porridge.
The Chinese believe...