Watermelon Milkshake / Summer Specials

Scorching weather in our place is making us tired and dehydrated. The best way to beat the heat is by increasing the intake of liquid foods like juices, buttermilk and water. The interest in regular food has also completely reduced due to heat and everyone in my home started craving for something cool. So, I have increased the frequency of juice preparation to keep them cool and healthy which is indeed useful for my "Summer Special Series" too. Check out my co-bloggers Shobana Vijay and Sujitha Ruban's page by clicking the following link to view more refreshing summer drinks.

Click HERE to view Sujitha Ruban's Page.

Click HERE to view Shobana Vijay's Page.

My today's recipe is also a simple and quick milkshake prepared using watermelon, milk and sugar. Instead of preparing regular juice out of watermelon, try this yummy drink using cold milk which also makes the drink healthy.

Ingredients :

2 Cups Watermelon, De - seeded and chopped 
1/2 - 3/4 Cup Cold Milk 
1 Tbsp Sugar ( Adjust according to the sweetness of watermelon ) 
Ice cubes 

Method :

Take chopped watermelon pieces in a blender along with cold milk and sugar.

Blend till it turns smooth.

Fill glass with few ice cubes and pour the prepared milkshake.

Alternately, refrigerate the watermelon milkshake for 30 minutes to 1 hour and serve cold.

Watermelon Rind & Vegetable Kurma ( Using Coconut )

Creamy and tasty kurma prepared using watermelon rind, peas and potato. In this recipe, I have used dry green peas which can be substituted with fresh ones. No masala powder is added in this recipe except turmeric powder for the color. The spicy taste is only because of the addition of green chillies, so adjust the quantity according to taste bud. This yummy side dish goes perfect with hot Rice, Idly, Dosa or Roti. More veggies can also be included along with rind pieces apart from the peas and potato.

Ingredients :

1 Tbsp Oil 
2 Bay leaves
1 Elachi 
1 Star anise 
1/2 Tsp Saunf
1/2 inch Cinnamon stick 
2 Onions, chopped 
5 Green chillies, chopped 
1 Tsp Ginger garlic paste 
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder
1 Tomato, Finely chopped 
1/2 Cup Dry green peas ( Fresh ones can also be used ) 
2 Potatoes, cut into small cubes 
1 1/2 Cups Watermelon, cut into small cubes 
1 Cup Water 
Salt to taste 
Coriander leaves for garnishing 

To grind :

3 Tbsp Coconut, chopped into small pieces 
1/4 Tsp Khus khus 
1/2 Tsp Saunf / Perunjeeragam

Method :

Wash and soak dry green peas over night or 5 - 6 hours.

Add the chopped onions and green chillies in a mixie jar and grind into fine paste. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add bay leaves followed by star anise, cinnamon, elachi and suanf.

Fry and add the ground onion - green chillies paste followed by ginger - garlic paste.

Saute till the raw smell of onion and ginger - garlic paste goes off.

Add turmeric powder followed by chopped tomatoes and saute till it turns soft.

Now add the veggies ( rind, potato and soaked green peas ) along with the required amount of salt.

Add the measured cup of water and pressure cook it for 4 - 5 whistles.

Meanwhile, grind the " To grind " ingredients into fine paste by adding little water.

Once the pressure gets released, open the cooker and add the ground paste.

Cook it for 3 - 4 minutes and switch off the flame.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve with hot rice or Roti.

Watermelon Rind Soup

Here comes my 7th easy and tasty recipe using Watermelon Rind. This healthy soup is prepared using rind of watermelon ( white part ). Easy to prepare and tastes yummy and creamy. This can be served as breakfast along with bread toast and watermelon salad. The watermelon rind is sauteed in an olive oil along with the chopped onion and garlic is pressure cooked and made into smooth puree is further boiled with milk to get a creamy texture. Butter can also be used instead of olive oil to enhance the flavor.

Ingredients :

2 Cups Watermelon Rind, Grated 
1 Onion, Finely chopped
3 Garlic pods
1 Bay leaf 
1 Cup Water 
1 1/2 Tsp Olive oil / Butter 
1/4 Cup Milk 
Salt to taste 
1/4 Tsp Pepper powder ( adjust according to taste bud ) 
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

Heat oil or butter in a pressure cooker and add bay leaf followed by garlic pods.

Add the finely chopped onion and saute till it turns translucent.

Add the grated watermelon rind and saute it for a minute.

Now add the measured amount of water and pressure cook it for 4 to 5 whistles.

Once the pressure gets released, open the lid, remove the bay leaf and blend the rind mixture into smooth puree.

Bring it to boil again for 5 minutes by adding the measured amount of milk, pepper powder and salt.

Once done, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve hot with bread toast or croutons.

Watermelon Rind & Lobia Kuzhambu

Hello friends,

Back to my regular recipe post after completing my 100 days of diet project. Today's recipe is using watermelon rind which is the white part of watermelon. So far, I had posted 5 recipes using watermelon rind and here are the links of those recipes.....

Watermelon Rind Salna - http://www.priyasmenu.com/2015/06/watermelon-rind-salna.html

Watermelon Rind Kurma - http://www.priyasmenu.com/2015/04/watermelon-rind-kurma-no-coconut.html

Watermelon Mor / Curd Kuzhambu - http://www.priyasmenu.com/2014/11/watermelon-rind-mor-kuzhambu-watermelon.html

Watermelon Rind Puli Kuzhambu - http://www.priyasmenu.com/2014/10/watermelon-rind-puli-kuzhambu.html

Watermelon Rind Kheer - http://www.priyasmenu.com/2014/09/watermelon-rind-kheer-5-ingredients-fix.html

Here comes an another interesting flavorful kuzhambu prepared using freshly ground masala. This delicious kuzhambu goes yummy with hot rice, Idly and dosa. I have prepared this recipe using lobia but the same can also be prepared using black chickpeas / karupu kondakadalai

Ingredients :

2 Cups Watermelon Rind, Cut into small cubes
1/2 Cup Lobia / Black eyed pea 
1/2 Tsp Jeera / Cumin seeds
1/4 Tsp Methi / Fenugreek seeds
2 Tsp Gingelly oil  
Salt to taste
Lemon sized Tamarind
1 1/2 Cups water ( Adjust accordingly )
Curry leaves for garnishing

To Saute and Grind :

2 Tsp  Gingelly oil / cooking oil
4 Garlic pods 
2 Onions, chopped 
1 Tomato, chopped 
7 - 8 Dry red chillies 
1 Tbsp Coriander seeds
1/2 Tsp Jeera 
1 Tbsp Chana dal / Kadalai parupu 
2 Tbsp Coconut, finely chopped pieces
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder
 
 Method :

Wash and soak lobia for 5 - 6 hours or over night.

Drain the water, add little water and salt to it.

Mix well and pressure cook it for 4 - 5 whistles.

Once done, switch off the flame and keep aside.

Soak tamarind in one cup of water before starting the cooking process.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and add dry red chillies followed by coriander seeds, jeera and chana dal.

Saute for a minute in a medium flame and add chopped onions followed by tomato, coconut, turmeric powder and garlic pods.

Saute till the tomatoes turns soft and remove from the flame.

Cool the mixture and grind into fine paste by adding water. Keep aside.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan / kadai and add jeera followed by methi seeds and curry leaves.

Saute and add the ground masala.

Cook it for 5 minutes or till the color of masala changes.

Add the chopped watermelon rind and mix well.

Meanwhile, extract juice from the soaked tamarind and add it to the kuzhambu along with 1 1/2 cups of water.

Add salt and let it boil for 10 - 15 minutes in a medium flame or till the rind gets cooked.

Add the cooked lobia along with water and let it boil for another 5 minutes.

Garnish with curry leaves and serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve hot with stir fry / poriyal and papad.

Watermelon Rind Salna

Salna is one of the famous n flavorful curry which is served along with parotta in Tamilnadu. Generally salna is prepared using mixed veggies, mutton, egg or chicken but my today's post is with a twist of using my favorite veggie "Watermelon rind". Watermelon rind is nothing but the white part of watermelon which is generally threw away by most of them. As it is a water content fruit, the rind part is also very healthy. So, I love to use it in my kitchen with interesting recipes, instead of trashing it. The ingredients and preparation looks lengthy as it also includes grinding but the freshly ground masala enhances taste of this curry and gives a lovely aroma. As I have mentioned above, this is an excellent side dish for parotta and apart from that, this curry tastes very delicious with dosa, idly and chapati.

Check out my previous recipes using Watermelon Rind...

Watermelon Rind Mor Kuzhambu

Watermelon Rind Puli Kuzhambu

Watermelon Rind Kheer

Watermelon Rind Dosa

Watermelon Rind Kurma ( No Coconut )

Ingredients :

2 Medium sized Onions, sliced
2 Small Tomatoes, chopped
2 Cups Watermelon Rind, Finely chopped
3 Green chillies, slitted
Handful of curry leaves
Salt to taste 
2 Tbsp Oil

To Roast and Grind :

1 Tsp Jeera
1 Tbsp Saunf
1 inch Cinnamon stick
2 Medium sized Onions, sliced
2 Small Tomatoes, sliced
8 Garlic pods
1 inch Ginger, peeled
Few Coriander leaves
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder
2 Tsp Chilli powder ( Adjust according to taste bud )
3 Tsp Coriander powder
1/4 Cup Coconut, Finely chopped
1 Tbsp Oil  

To Garnish :

Few Mint leaves
Few Curry leaves

Method :

Heat pan and add Saunf followed by Jeera and Cinnamon stick.

Dry roast them and remove from the flame.

Now, add 1 Tbsp oil in a same pan and add Garlic followed by ginger and sliced onions.

Fry them for a minute and add the chopped tomatoes followed by coriander leaves.

Saute till the tomatoes turns soft.

At this stage, add Turmeric powder, Chilli powder and Coriander powder and fry till the raw smell goes off.

Add finely chopped coconut pieces and fry it for a minute.

Remove from the flame and cool it.

Add this mixture along with dry roasted masala ( saunf, jeera and cinnamon ) and grind into smooth paste by adding little water. Keep aside.

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a pan and add curry leaves followed by green chillies

Add the sliced onions and saute till it turns translucent.

Now, add the chopped tomatoes and saute till turns soft.

Add the chopped Watermelon rind pieces, Turmeric powder, salt and little water.

Close and cook for couple of minutes.

At this stage, add the ground masala and cook for a minute.

Add 1 1/2 Cups of water and mix well.

Close the pan and cook the salna for 10-15 minutes in a low flame or till the oil separates from the curry.

Once done, Remove from the flame and garnish with mint leaves and curry leaves.

Serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve hot with Dosa, Chapati and Parotta.

Watermelon Rind Kurma ( No Coconut )

Have you ever tried adding watermelon rind in kurma ?

After preparing watermelon rind dosa, tried this kurma with the leftover watermelon. As rind part is high in water content, this is an excellent option during summer. It tasted very yummy and perfect with roti. This can also be served with hot rice. Apart from the delicious taste, this kurma is very healthy too as it doesn't include coconut and yeah,you can call it as "Diet rind kurma" too :)

This recipe doesn't include chilli powder and the spiciness is from only green chillies. So, adjust the quantity of green chillies according to taste bud.

Ingredients :

2 Tbsp Oil
1 Bay leaf
2 Star anise
1 inch Cinnamon piece
1/2 Tsp Saunf
2 Onions, finely chopped
1 Big Tomato,chopped
4 Green chillies ( Increase according to taste bud )
1 Tsp Ginger garlic paste
1/2 of Watermelon fruit Rind, chopped into pieces
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves, finely chopped

To grind:

2 Tbsp Roasted gram / Potukadalai
1 Tsp white sesame / Til / Ellu
1/2 Tsp Saunf


Method :

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a pan and add bay leaf followed by star anise, saunf and cinnamon.

Add finely chopped onions and saute for a minute in a medium flame.

Add ginger garlic paste and saute it for another minute or till the raw smell goes off.

Meanwhile, grind tomato and green chillies into fine paste.

Add it to the onion mixture and mix well.

Now add Turmeric powder followed by salt and cook it for couple of minutes. ( For extra spicy, add 1/2-1 tsp chilli powder at this stage ).

Add the chopped watermelon rind and mix well.

Add required amount of water and cook it for 15 minutes or till the rinds get cooked.

Meanwhile, grind the ingredients given in "To grind" by adding little amount of water into fine paste.

Once the rinds get cooked, add the ground paste and cook for couple of minutes.

Adding roasted gram, thickens the kurma so, adjust water accordingly.

Garnish with coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

Serve hot.

Serving Options:

Serve hot wit Rice or Roti.

Watermelon Rind Mor Kuzhambu / Watermelon Rind Buttermilk Kuzhambu

After posting couple of recipes using watermelon rind, here comes my third recipe using rind in buttermilk curry which is called as Mor kuzhambu. Mor kuzhambu is a famous south Indian kuzhambu which has a lovely flavor of Jeera and ginger with a mild tangy taste. This is served with hot rice along with some veg curries and preferably spicy curries to balance the taste bud. Urad dal vadai buttermilk kuzhambu (Vadai pota mor kuzhambu) is one of our favorite recipe and apart from vadai, vegetables like pumpkin, brinjal or Ash gourd can also be added.
Check out my previous recipes using Watermelon Rind :

Watermelon Rind kheer 
Watermelon Rind Puli kuzhambu

 Ingredients :

•  2 1/2 Cups Curd
• 1 1/2 Cups Water 
• 1 Tbsp Rice
• 1 Tbsp Toor dal
• 200 gms Watermelon rind, chopped into cubes/chunks
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 5 Green chillies, sliced
• 1/2 inch Ginger, chopped
• 4 Tbsp Coconut pieces, finely chopped
• 1 Tsp Jeera / 
• Salt to taste
• 2 Tbsp Oil 
• 1/4 Tsp Mustard seeds
• 1/4 Tsp Jeera 
• A pinch of Hing powder 

Method :

Soak rice and Toor dal for an hour. 

Whisk curd and add water. Mix and keep aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a pan and add chopped green chillies.

Saute and add ginger followed by Jeera and coconut pieces.

Saute for a minute in a medium flame, cool and grind into smooth paste by adding soaked rice and Toor dal.

Heat the remaining oil in a pan and mustard seeds.

Once it starts spluttering, add Jeera followed by hing and finely chopped onions.

Saute till the onions turns translucent and add chopped watermelon.

Add Turmeric powder and salt. Mix well and add 1 cup of water.

Cook for 10 minutes in a medium flame or till the rind gets cooked.

Now add the ground paste and mix well.

 Cook for 5 minutes ( add water, if the curry is too thick ) and add the buttermilk.

Adjust salt and cook for a minute.

Garnish with coriander leaves or curry leaves and switch off the flame.

Serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve with hot rice.

  
Note :

Do not boil kuzhambu for long time after adding buttermilk.

Watermelon Rind Puli Kuzhambu / Watermelon Rind tangy gravy

,

Here comes my another interesting recipe using Watermelon Rind after my Watermelon kheer. As I had mentioned in my previous post, our weekly shopping never ended without watermelon. So, instead of throwing away the white parts (rind), I started using it in a different forms of cooking as it is healthy too. Puli kuzhambu is a south Indian famous tangy gravy which is served with hot rice. Puli kuzhambu can be  prepared with lots of veggies like pumpkin, ash gourd, brinjal etc but for a twist, I tried this kuzhambu with watermelon rinds. As it is a water filled fruit, the rind absorbed all the flavors of gravy and tasted very delicious with a lip smacking tangy taste. Any veggie stir fries like beans poriyal, potato podimas, cabbage poriyal etc goes well with this kuzhambu and personally I loved it with a simple egg omelet. 

Ingredients :

• 2 Big Onions, Finely chopped
• 2 Medium Tomatoes, finely chopped
• Half of Watermelon rinds, chopped into pieces
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 1/2 Tsp Chilli powder
• 2 Tsp Coriander powder
• salt to taste
• lemon sized Tamarind
• Few Curry leaves
• 1 Tbsp Oil
• 1/2 Tsp Mustard seeds
• 1/2 Tsp Jeera
• 1/2 Tsp Methi / Fenugreek seeds

Method :

Soak tamarind before starting the process with 1 cup of water.
Heat oil in a pan and add Mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add Jeera followed by Methi seeds.
Add the chopped onions and saute well for couple of minutes in a medium flame.

Add the chopped tomatoes and saute well till it turns soft.

Fry it for a minute and add the chopped watermelon rind pieces.

Now add Turmeric powder followed by Coriander powder and chilli powder.

Mix well and fry it for a minute in a medium flame.
Meanwhile, extract the juice from soaked Tamarind and keep aside.

 

Now add the Tamarind juice followed by one cup of water and salt.

Close and cook for 10 - 15 minutes in a medium flame or till the rind gets cooked .

Add curry leaves and switch off the flame.

Serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve with hot rice and veggie stir fry or papad.