Summers are here and so are watermelons. While we all (or so I believe!) love the juicy, cool, refreshing goodness of a watermelon, we don't really like the waste left after a juicy melon.
While I haven't ventured to experiment with the outer rind yet, the whites below the rind have been looking at me with imploring eyes. I don't have the heart to toss them in the bin - even if it is a compost bin!
My Mom makes a curry with diced white parts but I'm not a big fan of this curry and the whites are just too much to be consumed in a curry. So I was on a lookout for other uses.
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| The red part goes in the tummy The green part goes into the compost bin Pic Courtesy: Pixabay |
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| And whites go in an.... adai batter (lentil pancakes) Pic Courtesy: Greenkarma360 |
Here's the recipe for adai. I've made this adai using a single lentil. You can add other lentils like toor, urad, masoor and chana in equal quantities.
Ingredients :
Moong daal - 1/2 cup
Toor daal - 1/2 cup
Urad daal - 1/2 cup
Masoor daal - 1/2 cup
Chana daal - 1/2 cup
Watermelon whites - 2-3 cups
Tomato - 1 medium
Onion - 1/2
Coriander - A fistful along with stalks
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic (optional) - 3-4 cloves
Green chillies (optional) - 1-2
Curry -leaves -10
Lemon juice - Half a lemon
Spices: Red chilly powder, cumin seeds and salt.
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| The whites impart volume to the batter without altering its taste Pic Courtesy: Greenkarma360 |
Way to Go:
- Wash and soak all the lentils for 4-5 hours.
- Blend all the ingredients together. You can skip onions and tomatoes while grinding. These can be skipped or chopped and added to the batter later.
- You can add more watermelon whites or water to get the consistency right. The mix should not be too watery or too tight.
- Season the griddle with some oil.
- Scoop the batter and spread in a circular fashion on a hot griddle. Don'r spread it too thin.
- Add oil around the adai.
- Keep the flame medium.
- Flip the adai when well done.
- Sauté lightly on the other side.
When done, enjoy it with a dip of your choice. Here's a lovely ridge-gourd peels chutney to savor it with.
The watermelon whites made the batter very light and fluffy. I loved the fact that the whites gave body to the batter without altering its taste.
I brainstormed on different ways to use these whites. Here are a few other ideas. Add watermelon whites to a:
1. Smoothie
2. Soup
3. Dip or Chutney
4. Lasagna Sauce
5. Pasta Sauce, Pasta Veggies
6. Daal or Sambar
7. Paav Bhaji
8. Dough
9. Curry
I would advice you to add the whites in moderation, to begin with. Once you get comfortable, you can increase the proportion according to your taste.:)
If you get inspired by this post and use the whites in some way, please post in the comments below. Happy experimenting!
