Water Melon Rind Preserve

Every Sunday hubby and I make a trip to the local market.

It’s become a ritual. But this Sunday he went alone as I had a meeting to attend and he came back with a watermelon which he cut immediately. The red fruit went in the bowl and the white and the green skin in a plate ready to be thrown out.

Just as he was about to throw out the rind I told him that I would like to try out a preserve with them. Since I was visibly tired he asked me not make anything but since I insisted he kept a few of them.

I needed just 2 quarter rinds to make my delicious preserve the quantity I got is this bowl. To make the preserve remove the green skin and all the pink and red parts of the watermelon. Yes you need only the white of the watermelon.

The original recipe is here.

Ingredients:

1 cup diced watermelon rind (the whites only)

1/8 cup lemon juice (could have used a little lesser)

2 tsp lemon zest

1/8 cup water

¼ cup +1/3 cup sugar

1 small bottle 

Method:

1.    Combine the diced water melon rind, lemon juice, lemon zest, water and ¼ cup sugar in thick bottomed kadhai/wok and boil over high.

2.    Stir till the sugar dissolves.

3.    Once the sugar dissolves reduce the heat & simmer covered on low heat till the melon is half cooked.

4.    Add the rest of the sugar and cook uncovered till the melon is translucent. I did this because I checked the syrup out and it tasted sweet also I wanted a bit more syrup. You could avoid this step.

5.    Store in a washed and sun dried bottle. (Mine did not reach the bottle).  J

Here I would like to thank Digamber and Prashant for trusting me and eating the preserve. They tried to guess what it was made of but did not succeed. Better luck next time boys.

Now I am thinking of making the preserve in red chili powder. Maybe next time we buy watermelon. Any suggestions about how to go about it?


Sending this to Vatsala's Pot luck party

Hosting an event which I am calling Back to our Roots Also hosting for Nov’11 Veggie Food for the Month_Raw Banana. Please do send me your entries.

Archana