Have you tried making a tarbooz ke chilke ki sabzi ? In other words, a side dish made from watermelon rind. It’s popularly eaten in the arid regions of Rajasthan but isn’t something that one is familiar with in the Southern States.
For the past few summers, we have searched and ferreted out organically grown watermelon and savoured every bit of its deliciousness. Having received a ripe juicy watermelon from our organic supplier this year, we plan to feast on this seasonal treat as often as possible.
As college girls, we would consume enormous amounts of watermelon fresh off the roadside and discard the rinds with nary a thought! I always hesitated to throw out the rind, because it looked so pretty. Then, last year, thumbing through one of my speciality cookbooks, I stumbled upon pickled watermelon rind, which I tried.
After removing the outer skin, the pale ends went into a big pot of water with sea salt, natural sugar, dried herbs, chilli flakes and vinegar. After several minutes of boiling, it was left to simmer, reduce and then taken off the stove to cool.
The long juliennes of rind were appealingly translucent but still retained a bit of crunch. The sugar, vinegar and salt had worked their magic and the pickled watermelon tasted exactly like the bottled gherkins that we bought at the store. It livened up our cheese platters on more than one occasion. It also keeps very well in the refrigerator up to a year.
If we actually took a closer look at the white portion at the base of the watermelon, the texture and consistency are similar to that of a cucumber. The rind is loaded with health benefits. It contains an amino acid called citrulline, which relaxes the blood vessels, eases muscular cramps and relieves heartburn.
But, in order to enjoy the benefits, it is imperative to source watermelons free from chemicals and pesticides. So the dark green strips of outer skin were the only part thrown in the compost bin. It feels so good to not waste and live as nature intended us to. Why not try your hand at a different kind of pickling this summer?
Tarbooz ke chilke ki subzi
Serves 2
The recipe is quite straightforward, consisting of ghee, dry spices and powdered spices. The subzi paired with the phulkas made an incredibly simple yet satisfying meal. This dish tastes good even when chilled, perfect when not everyone likes to eat piping hot curries in summer.
Ingredients
3 cups Watermelon rind (cut the white fleshy part away from the skin)
2 thinly sliced garlic
1/4 inch piece grated ginger
3 dried Kashmiri chillies
1 tsp amchoor powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder (or to taste)
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)
2 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp mint leaves
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
2 cups water
Method
Set a deep kadai on low heat and add the ghee.
Add the cumin seeds and, once the aroma arises, add the ginger and garlic. Sauté until soft.
Add the spice powders and the Kashmiri chillies and sauté.
Add the watermelon rind pieces and mix well. Add water and salt. Cover and cook for about 6-8 minutes.
Remove the lid and cook until the rind is soft and the liquid has evaporated and the spices coat the pieces.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Add garam masala.
Take off fire. Add the mint leaves.
Serve either warm, cold or at room temperature.