Asian watermelon salad

After a decadent summer friendly dessert of last week, I am back with yet another summer food!

The benefits of seasonal eating are known to mankind from the time the world started shaping up. Even though nutritionists and fad-diet creators have added a dash of glamour to the seasonal produce, their relevance since the time of the Vedas is unmatched. What intrigues me most, is how long it took us as a community to realize the worth of our rich traditions and heritage and to dive into it. But better late than never.

Even though it's time for watermelons to wave goodbye and disappear into the thin air like some magic folklore, it is still enjoying the glory of last few days of relevance. So without further adieu lets just get one and create a simple salad that promises a burst of fresh flavors with easy available ingredients. Did I mention this has an Asian touch as well!

Since I missed out on clicking images of the ingredients, so we will straight away jump into the recipe. Even though I am just doling out the words, I am salivating at the mere thought of it!!

• Chop up the watermelon flesh into chunks, discarding the rinds as of now ( do not throw them away. freeze them), removing as many seeds as you can. Store them in your fridge till you need them. Chop up half a yellow Bell pepper into quarter inch cubes.
• Slice some red onions into half moons and keep aside. Pick a handful of mint leaves+ handful of coriander leaves + 1 Bok choy ( torn into chunks): wash them thoroughly to get rid of all the dirt. Remove the hard part of the stalks, reserving only the soft ones holding onto the leaves.
• Soak 2 roundel of Bondel cheese in water for 4-5 hours, to get rid of extra salty nature.
• Toast 1/4th cup of pumpkin seeds in a dry pan till the nutty aroma comes out of them.
• Dressing: Mix the following together in a jar: 1" ginger grated + 1 green chili finely chopped + 2 Dalle chilies finely snipped+  2 tbsp light soy sauce+ 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + 1 tsp toasted seaseme oil+ juice of 2 lime+ salt & pepper. mix them well if you are using a bowl, or shake them well, if a glass jar is available
• Assembling: place 1 tbsp of dressing on the bottom of the plate. Tumble the watermelon cubes on top. Build it up with adding the onion moon & the washed greens. Followed by a handful of rushed salted peanuts & the toasted pumpkin seeds. Spoon over 2 tbsp of the dressing. Now take out the soaked Bondel cheese, press it with muslin to take out all the water. Crumble and sprinkle on top of the salad.

• Take a fork, with your newspaper or Netflix and eat it with pleasure. Answering phone calls at this point can be detrimental for your sense of pleasure.

Let me tell you, what I love the most about this refreshing salad: Its the juice that accumulates at the bottom of the bowl. I happily and greedily slurp on this, as if all the time spent eating the salad, I have been waiting to reach this pleasure pool . Alongside here's some word of caution:

• In case if Bokchoy is not available, please substitute that with crisp lettuce, tearing them in chunks in best advisable.
• The reason I insist in making the dressing in jar and shaking the day light out of them to combine, is because it's easier to refrigerate that way.
• You can feel free to chop up the watermelons before hand and freeze in ziplock bags, i case if this is your dinner after a long day at work.
• I insist on Dalle chilies because of the fruit-y aroma they impart to the dish, becoming one with the composition. Dalle paste shall also be a good choice. In case you fail to find both, substitute it with some hot sauce of your choice.

Yes, I am done with my words. Remember to allow food to always do it's job: spreading happiness and pleasure to yourself and others. Stay safe.