RAJASTHANI WATERMELON CURRY
Prep time 20 mins
Cook 10 mins
Serves 6-8
"Many years ago, I came across the idea of this delightful curry in Camellia Panjabi’s book, 50 Great Curries of India," says cookbook author Tony Tan. "It is usually eaten during the long, hot summers in Rajasthan when not many vegetables are available. A semi-dry curry, it’s delicious with rice or chapati, naan or roti. Note, however, that the quality of this curry is dependent on the age and type of watermelon – some watermelons give out plenty of juice while others are powdery. Select heavy seedless watermelons, and try to cook the dish in a wide pan, which will help keep the fruit from breaking apart."
2 kg (4 lb 8 oz) seedless watermelon, rind removed, flesh cut into 5 cm (2 inch) cubes
1½ teaspoons chilli powder
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon minced garlic
¼ cup (60 ml) neutral oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
Pinch of salt, or to taste
Pinch of caster (superfine) sugar, or to taste
Juice of 1 lime, or to taste
Roti canai, and steamed rice, to serve
1. Blend 1 cup (175 g) watermelon in a food processor or blender to make juice, then strain and discard the pulp.
2. To the juice, add the chilli, turmeric, coriander and garlic, and stir to combine.
3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the cumin and mustard seeds, and as soon as they change colour and start to pop, about 5–10 seconds, add the watermelon juice.
4. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Season to taste with salt and sugar, add the chopped watermelon and toss gently until the pieces are coated with the spice mixture, then cook, stirring gently, over low heat for 2–3 minutes until just soft.
5. Stir in the lime juice, then ladle the watermelon pieces into a heatproof serving bowl. Place in a warm oven to keep warm, then keep reducing the sauce in the saucepan until it is syrupy (1–2 minutes). Spoon the sauce over the watermelon and serve with roti and steamed rice.
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
Note The flavour should be hot, sweet and sour. Add a pinch of paprika to achieve a better colour to the sauce if it looks insipid. Brown mustard seeds come from the vast brassica family. Yellow or white mustard seeds and black mustard seeds are native to Europe and brown mustard seeds are native to Asia, hence this variety is often seen in Asian cookbooks.
