In rural Guizhou, a simple soup tells story of the season

In the courtyard of a rural farmhouse restaurant in Qiantao township of Guiyang, Guizhou province, a pot of clear soup is slowly cooling.

There is no oil floating on the surface and no elaborate seasoning. Tender pumpkin and green beans rest in the broth, releasing a subtle sweetness.

Yet the mild dish is rarely served without a condiment. At mealtime, the vegetables are served with roasted chili dipping sauce — a combination that for many Guizhou people is the taste of summer.

The humble dish is suguadou tang, a simple seasonal vegetable soup. For generations of Guizhou families, it has been the preferred way to savor the freshness of the season.

As the solar term li qiu, or Start of Autumn, falls on Friday, summer heat still lingers across much of southern China. In Guizhou, where pumpkins and beans are still being harvested, the seasonal soup holds its place on dining tables.

"I've been eating this ever since I was a child. It is truly local," said He Juanjuan, a Guiyang native who runs a farmhouse restaurant in Qiantao.

Her restaurant serves traditional rural dishes, many made with homegrown produce. During summer, suguadou tang is rarely off the menu.

"On hot days, it is especially refreshing," she said. "The soup is naturally sweet and not greasy."

Freshness is key. Pumpkins are harvested young, while their flesh is still tender. "We harvest them early," He said. "If they grow too mature, they are no longer as sweet."

Her family also grows peppers, eggplants, cowpeas, green beans, leafy vegetables, scallions and garlic. When certain ingredients are in short supply, they get them from nearby markets.

The preparation follows a tradition passed down through generations. Rather than slicing them with a knife, pumpkins are snapped by hand into rough chunks, and beans are broken into shorter lengths.

"Pumpkins taste better when broken apart before cooking," He said.

Beans are put into the pot first, as they take longer to cook, followed by the pumpkin chunks. No oil or seasoning is added, allowing the natural flavors of the ingredients to come through.

"You don't need to add any seasoning," she said. "All you taste is the natural sweetness of the ingredients."

The traditional dipping sauce is made with hu la jiao — dried chili peppers roasted until slightly charred and fragrant, then crushed into flakes or powder.

Garlic, scallions, soy sauce and salt go into the mix. Depending on personal preference, coriander or zhe'ergen, also known as fish mint, can be added. A spoonful of the vegetable broth can bring the flavors all together.

When the dish is served, the sweet vegetables are dipped into the smoky, spicy sauce, and the clear broth is sipped from the bowl.

For He, the soup is inseparable from memories of her mother and the family dining table.

"We ate it almost every summer," she said. "Whenever the season arrived, my mother would make a large bowl."

The soup is made early and left to cool as rice and other dishes are prepared. By the time the family gathers, it is ready to be enjoyed.

Today, it has also become part of the rural travel experience, and He routinely treats visitors to a generous bowl alongside other local dishes.

For travelers, the dish offers more than relief from the summer heat. It provides a taste of a way of life shaped by home gardens, seasonal ingredients and family traditions passed down through generations.

As summer gradually gives way to autumn, a bowl of suguadou tang delivers the freshness of Guizhou's harvest — and the quiet wisdom of eating in harmony with the seasons.

liyingxue@chinadaily.com.cn