Watermelon and Cottage Cheese salad -

Watermelon, one of the most loved fruits all over the world, quenches our thirst and hunger at the same time and has very few calories, a true boon for anyone on a diet. This fruit, which is more than 91 percent water, is a godsend on a hot humid day, as it keeps us hydrated.

Watermelon has been used in cocktails and mocktails with amazing results as it blends well with almost all flavours while lending its pretty red colour. Using it as an ingredient in salads also produces wonderful results. The use of feta cheese in a chilled Italian watermelon salad, especially when sprinkled with chopped mint leaves, is simply delicious.

Today, the recipe I will share with you is a fusion of East and West. It is a simple salad using just a few ingredients, yet it makes for a lovely centrepiece at any party and a refreshing appetizer before any meal.

For me, watermelon brings back those lovely memories of the hot and dry Pune summers. The vendors at the market and roadside, with their carts full of this luscious emerald green skinned fruit, heralded the beginning of summer, which in turn meant half days at school. Walking home at 1 pm in the heat, we could hardly wait to reach home, where my mom would have drawn the curtains, making the house cool, the fan whirring at full speed, and the best sight of all, my mom cutting cold watermelon and giving us heaped platefuls sprinkled with salt. A simple and perfect way of keeping our electrolytes in balance.

Miss those carefree days. They always remind me of that beautiful Kishore Kumar song, “koi lauta de mere beete hue din.” Do try this recipe and do not forget to serve it chilled.

Ingredients

Half a seedless watermelon
1 bowl hung curd
1 tbsp whole caraway seeds (shah jeeri), gently roasted
A few strands of saffron, soaked in 1 tbsp hot water and ground to a paste
½ cup grated cottage cheese (paneer)
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
Finely chopped cilantro and a few mint leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp honey

Method

Use a melon baller to scoop out small balls from the watermelon.
Place the watermelon balls in a strainer for about 15 minutes so the excess water drains out.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together the hung curd, saffron paste, honey, salt, pepper, lemon rind and lemon juice to make a smooth, sunny dressing.
Arrange the watermelon balls in a pretty dish. Add the grated paneer and half of the chopped cilantro and mint, and gently mix.
Pour the yogurt dressing over the salad.
Sprinkle generously with the roasted caraway seeds and the remaining chopped cilantro and mint.

Serve chilled and enjoy.