🍽️ Qingbuliang

Coconut milk with mixed grains and candied fruit, refreshing.

Qingbuliang is the most beloved summer cooler of Sanya, Hainan. Fresh coconut milk or water is poured over a dozen mixed ingredients, mung and red beans, barley, sago, grass jelly, watermelon, pineapple, sometimes crowned with a scoop of ice cream. It is icy, sweet and creamy with rich coconut aroma and a generous mix of textures, cooling yet filling. Sanya versions are made to order with fresh fruit, especially lively at seaside night markets, where vendors let guests pick their own mix from rows of small bowls. It is usually eaten with a long spoon, stirring the coconut milk through the layered ingredients before each bite. It is a summer ritual for Hainanese and a near-mandatory bowl for visitors, refreshingly sweet without being cloying, and best sipped slowly on a hot afternoon.