Come summer, watermelons make a sweet and refreshing low-calorie snack. They provide hydration and also essential nutrients, including vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Dr Ayesha Fatima, a dentist from Hyderabad, who loves to cook and blog about food on Instagram (@delish.eateria), and food blogger Stuti Prasad(@loveyourgreenswithstuti), a law graduate from Mumbai, share easy recipes using watermelon.
Watermelon rind pakoras
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1. Grated watermelon peel – 150gms
2. Gram flour - 1/4cup
3. Rice flour or semolina - 1 ½ tablespoon
4. Ginger-garlic paste - ½ teaspoon
5. Carom seeds - ½ teaspoon
6. Chopped green chillies - 3 nos.
7. Chopped curry leaves - 1 tablespoon
8. Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tablespoon
9. Chopped mint leaves - 1 tablespoon
10. Chopped cashews - 8 nos.
11. Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
12. Mango / amchur powder - ½ teaspoon
13. Oil for deep frying
Method
1. Grate the watermelon rind and squeeze out the water with the help of a muslin cloth.
2. Add all the ingredients except the oil and mix well.
3. Do not add any water, as the watermelon rind releases enough water for everything to combine.
4. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai.
5. Check if the oil is hot enough by sliding in a tiny piece of dough first. If it does not sink down and does not brown too quickly, the temperature is right.
6. Regulate the flame to medium high.
7. Take small amounts of dough, shape into pakoras with your figures and slide them gently into the hot oil.
8. Do not add too many pakoras at a time. They should have enough space to swim around and fry well.
9. While frying, stir and if needed flip the pakoras occasionally for even frying until they turn crisp and golden.
10. Remove with a perforated ladle onto a tissue paper-lined plate.
11. Sprinkle chat masala on the pakoras and serve hot with tomato ketchup or green chutney.
Energy per serving - 456.3k cal
Protein per serving - 19.2gm
Fats per serving - 35.2 gm
WATERMELON CREAM PUDDING
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooks in: 380 minutes
Total time: 395 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1.Watermelon chopped into chunks- 2-1/3 cups
2. Corn flour - 3-4 tablespoons
3. Vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
4. Milk - ½ litre
5. Fresh cream - ¼ cup
6. Condensed milk - As per sweetness required
Method
1. De-seed fresh water melon chunks and place in a blender. Process until smooth and well pureed.
2. Strain the mixture into a bowl and add corn flour. Mix well and set aside.
3. Heat milk in a saucepan over low-medium flame.
4. Add the watermelon-corn flour mix and keep stirring over flow flame.
5. Add vanilla essence and mix well.
6. Finally add fresh cream and condensed milk. Mix well.
7. Pour the Watermelon pudding mixture in moulds of your choice. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 hours.
8. Unmould and serve garnished with chopped watermelon chunks and mint levels.
Energy per serving - 173.3kcal
Protein per serving - 5.8gm
Fars per serving - 9.46gm
— Recipes by Dr Ayesha Fatima
Watermelon Salad
Ingredients
1. Freshly cut watermelon - 500g
2. Cucumber - 2 medium
3. Carrot - 1 medium
4. Mint leaves – a handful
5. Lettuce - 3-4 leaves chopped finely
Seasoning
6. Pink salt - 1 tsp
7. Thyme -1 tsp
8. White pepper powder -1 tsp
9. Balsamic vinegar -1 tsp
10. Freshly grated ginger - 3 inches
11. Olive oil - 1 tsp
12. Jaggery powder - 2 tsp
Method
1. Add the cut vegetables and watermelon in a bowl
2. Mix the seasonings together in another bowl
3. Mix the two ingredients right before serving.
Watermelon Sorbet
Ingredients
1. Frozen watermelon cubes – 500 gms
2. Ice cubes – 200 gms
3. Powdered sugar - 3 tsp
4. Vanilla essence - 2 tsp
5. Chilled water
6. Lemon juice – from 3 medium lemons
7. Coconut milk - 250ml
Method:
1. Cut the watermelon and freeze (preferably leave overnight).
2. Add the frozen watermelon with chilled water in a high-speed blender.
3. Add water gradually, to keep the consistency thick. Add lemon juice in batches as well.
4. Add vanilla essence and coconut milk and blend well.
5. Transfer into dishes and freeze.
6. Scoop out and serve.
— Recipes by Stuti Prasad
How to include it in one’s diet
Watermelon is a wholesome meal in itself. It’s a wonderful fruit to keep you hydrated in this scorching heat. A very good friend of weight watchers, it can be had as a sweet and as a savoury dish too.
Due to its high water content, it can be had at any time of the day. However, it’s best had during breakfast and as an evening snack.
As a sweet dish, watermelon can be made into shakes, mojitos, sundaes, smoothies, ice-creams and sorbets. You can add it as a topping for your oats or any other porridge. Or eat it sprinkled with muesli.
The inner rinds of the watermelon can be used to make tutti-frutti.
For those who prefer savoury dishes, watermelon can be made into a ‘steak’, and also used in sushi, fruit pizza, and combined with Feta cheese and with avocado in salads
However, it’s best eaten in its natural form.
Health Benefits
1. Keeps you hydrated
2. Contains nutrients and beneficial plant compounds
3. Contains compounds that could prevent cancer
4. Could improve heart health
5. May lower inflammation and oxidative stress
6. May help relieve muscle soreness
7. Improves skin and hair condition
8. Can aid digestion
