Fruit salads can never go out of fashion. These typically consist of various kinds of fruits that are diced, mixed together and seasoned with dressings and toppings. It can be eaten like a side meal, a dessert or an appetizer. However, in scorching summers a wholesome fruit salad bowl of seasonal fruits is the much-needed respite that not only replenishes body's water content seamlessly but is equally palatable. Watermelon bowl is that concoction made with refreshing cucumber, watermelon, grapefruit and fibre and potassium-rich bananas. The sheer delight however is in eating this fruit salad in the hollowed watermelon hard shell cut and shaped like a bowl, and hence the name, watermelon bowl. Unlike your regular bowl, you can continue digging in for more pulp and juice after you have finished your fruits in the watermelon bowl. It is a hands down luscious dessert, utterly simple to make, that extinguishes both summer heat and bout of post-meal hunger.
Fruit salad recipes have popularly existed since the ancient era of the Greeks and Romans. Compote or canned fruit salad preserved in jelly is said to be one of the oldest fruit salads that originated in England of the 17th century. The canned fruit salad is also called Fruit Cocktail and Fruit cup and is served mostly as an appetizer. Fruit Cocktail is called such because it's an appetizer made by combining pieces of various fruits. The fruit salads evolved and diversified into different types ranging from basic ones without seasonings and toppings to the ones accompanied with a variety of dressings and toppings. Dressings for fruit salads range from yoghurt, to honey and fruit syrup and toppings include shredded cheese, nuts, and ice-cream. They are also prepared by mixing canned fruits, dry fruits, and nuts.
Image: Freepik
Ingredients
1 Watermelon
2 Cucumbers
2 Grapefruit
2 Bananas
Fresh mint leaves
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Lemon
Method
1. Take a whole watermelon and slice it into two equal halves. Take one of the halves, cut it from top and cut a thin slice from the other side to get a flattened bottom.
2. Scoop out the flesh from inside with the help of a spoon while ensuring that you don't cut through white or green skin of the melon. Remove the seeds from the flesh of the watermelon and slice it into small pieces. Peel the bananas and cut them into small pieces. Peel off the cucumber and cut into small cubes.
3. Peel off the grapefruit and separate the segments. Mix all the fruits and transfer it into the hollowed watermelon bowl. Optional : You can add salt and black pepper to taste, and squeeze a lemon to enhance the flavour. Garnish with chopped fresh mint leaves and dig in already.
4. Fruits are undisputedly an integral part of a balanced diet. And a quick-to-prepare watermelon bowl is the season's call, that will take care of both your taste buds and health.