Yesterda (June 21), is 夏至 Xia Zhi, the day that has the longest day of the year. Lots of people may assume that Xia Zhi is the hottest day, however, it is actually a day that announces the upcoming hot weather.
In fact, the hottest day is assumed to be 23 days after Xia Zhi according to the Chinese belief.
So what do locals eat to combat the dreaded heat?
During Xia Zhi, Chinese people usually eat chilled noodles to get rid of the heat of summer. Any kind of cold noodle can be eaten on the summer solstice in China, but especially, cold sesame oil noodles are popular.
Check out this recipe we found on kirbiecravings. To make a cold sesame oil noodle, you need the following ingredients:
- 1 lb Egg noodle
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seed
- 1 sliced green scallion
Instructions
- Boil the fresh egg noodle until the noodles are al dente. Put the cooked noodles in the cold water to cool them down.
- In a bowl, put sesame oil, seasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, sriracha, peanut butter, and sesame paste and mix them evenly. Taste the sauce and adjust as you need.
- Add noodles to a big mixing bowl and pour the sauce over. Mix them until the noodles are evenly coated. Serve the noodles in dishes and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green scallion.
Now you are fully ready for Xia Zhi in China. Hope you spend this scorching summer cool and chill with these sesame oil noodles!
Images: Pexels, Kirbie’sCravings
