西瓜牛奶 (Watermelon Milk)

Summertime supermarkets have watermelon in abundance, a fruit that my mind associates with the watermelon milk that I drank aplenty in Taiwan. Now, one of the toughest parts about living in the Midwest is the difficulty in obtaining so-called "ethnic" foods (#firstworldproblems, I know). Anyway, I was chopping up watermelon today and decided that if I can't buy it, I might as well make my own. Added bonus: watermelon is currently dirt cheap.


Watermelon Milk
1.5 lb (~680 g) seedless watermelon flesh (approximately 1/8 of a large watermelon)
1 cup milk

Makes 2 servings

Step One: Cube the watermelon flesh and place in blender with milk. I chose to use 2%, though whole milk would probably have been more effective. I wouldn't use skim milk, as it would throw off the mouth feel; you want the final product to be a little creamy.


Step Two: Blend. I used the "liquefy" setting, though you could probably get away with puree. As you can see, the blended product is a little foamy, which leads us into Step Three.


Step Three: Strain with a fine sieve. I set mine over the same bowl that I used for collecting watermelon, mostly because I hate washing extra dishes. This step isn't absolutely necessary, but straining produces a cleaner product. Someone more creative than I am could probably think of a good use for the watermelon foam; as for me, it's headed straight for the sink.


Step Four: Pour into glasses and enjoy! (Note: Variations include using almond milk or soy milk instead of regular moo juice. If your watermelon is ripe, you shouldn't need any extra sugar.)