ONLY COLD NOODLES CAN BEAT MAJOR HEAT

"A bowl of cold noodle broth first, please."

In Yanji, a city in Northeast China's Jilin province, it is often the first thing diners order after taking their seats.

Served in a stainless-steel bowl, the clear broth is icy cold, balancing sweet, sour and savory flavors. One sip seems to melt away the midsummer heat. Then comes the main dish — long, chewy noodles resting in chilled beef broth. A pair of scissors accompanies the bowl, allowing diners to cut the long noodles into manageable lengths.

For first-time visitors, the ritual can be a surprise. For locals, it is simply a refreshing summer tradition.

As Major Heat, or da shu, the hottest of China's 24 solar terms, arrives on Thursday, people across the nation will seek relief from soaring temperatures. In Yanji, many turn to cold noodles, a traditional food of the Korean ethnic group that has become one of the city's culinary calling cards.

"In Yanji, once the weather turns hot, people naturally think of cold noodles, whether they usually eat them or not," said Jin Yongfu, manager of Yanji Fuwudalou Cold Noodles, one of the city's best-known cold noodle restaurants. "Even if they just want the broth, they'll head to a cold noodle restaurant. That is how they experience the real summer."

Behind the seemingly simple dish lies a meticulous process.

Yanji cold noodles are made from a mixture of buckwheat flour, wheat flour, sweet potato starch, tapioca starch and acorn powder, giving the noodles their signature flavor and dark hue. The dough is scalded, kneaded and pressed into thin strands, then briefly cooked and rinsed twice in cold water.

"When the noodles are taken out of the pot, they are extremely hot," Jin said. "The first rinse removes the heat, while the second cools the noodles completely."

The noodles must also be rubbed and washed to remove the stickiness caused by the sweet potato starch. The low temperature helps them tighten and retain their signature chewy texture — one reason diners need scissors to cut them.

Yet the defining element of a good bowl of cold noodles is the broth. "It's the most important part," Jin said. At his restaurant, the beef is soaked in running water for up to a day and a night to remove impurities. It is then blanched and simmered for about five hours with carrots, scallions, onions, ginger, licorice root and red dates.

"This step may not appear important, but it matters greatly to us," Jin said of soaking the beef. "It determines whether the broth has a clean taste."

After settling for 48 hours, the concentrated broth is seasoned with sugar and vinegar, then frozen into fine ice crystals to keep it cold without diluting its flavor.

The recipe also reflects traditional ideas about balancing ingredients. "Buckwheat is considered a cooling food, while beef is relatively warming," Jin said. "Beef broth is used to provide balance."

Many locals eat the egg first in the belief that it helps prepare the stomach for the cold soup. Each bowl is topped with pickled cabbage, cucumber, half a boiled egg, beef and seasonal fruit. Watermelon often appears in summer.

Even the flavor changes with the seasons. "We make the broth more sour in summer, because it is more refreshing and helps relieve the heat," Jin said. "In winter, we make it sweeter so it feels gentler on the stomach."

For Xu Shunji, who has operated her cold noodle restaurant for 20 years, every detail matters.

"The noodles, pickles, sauce and broth must all come together properly. If one part is not right, the cold noodles will not taste good," Xu said.

She is particularly proud of the locally raised cattle. "Yanbian yellow cattle make the broth especially fragrant and rich. Other kinds of beef do not produce quite the same flavor."

In Yanji, cold noodles are often paired with guobaorou, crispy sweet-and-sour pork. Some diners dip the freshly fried pork into the icy broth, cooling its crisp coating while adding another layer of acidity and sweetness.