Minatamis na Balat ng Pakwan (Sweetened Watermelon Rind)

Sweetened  rinds

 I'm baaaack! After uhm being dormant for a couple of months ( yayks-- tagal na pala).. I finally found my head to blog again ..lol.  I gotta  post some backlogs that's long overdue.

...And since  summer is not yet over , gotta share some of the things I've tried  during my hibernation mode..woot... It's about making your own preserves out of fruit peels.. (Actually, there are other options of cooking or making something out of fruit peels and gotta try some of those next time.)

When it comes to food--- I'm a bit guilty for being, .... insatiable , or voracious haha.. well, that applies when I'm in the mood for cravings. . so I found myself looking for other kind of  'chitsirya'.

Pinoys naturally loves  dessert... and most use fruit preserves for their panghimagas or pamutat . I  found out this preserves I'm gonna share isn't too popular and not included in the kitchen list of most pinoys and...as I googled it, lo and behold....this preserves are a hit to other Asian countries.  Told myself  to at least try it .

Imagine the waste we do as we eat just the red part of the watermelon., We throw away peels that are so useful --- wala ka palang itatapon sa pakwan, just the outer peels--the green/yellow part. So, to resourceful ones who doesn't want to waste food, after eating your watermelon, remember to save the thick peels-- wash  and cube, then  put those on your fridge.

  

I came across this info about  watermelon on the internet, and  its great to know its not simply just a fruit to munch during summer ... it turns out extraordinarily  nutritious. For nutrition facts of watermelon --including its rind, please follow  the link below.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=31

 
Ingredients:

1/2 cup lime ( apog) ; this is to retain crunchiness
1.5 liter water to soak rinds
4 cups water to boil
4 cups watermelon rind cubes
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup  vanilla
2 table spoon lemon (optional)

Procedure:

Trim off outer green layer/skin , remove the flesh ( you can spare a little flesh, light pink part), chop rind into cubes.Pour lime into a 1.5 liter of water. soak rind cubes and let stand overnight.

 In the next day, drain the water and  wash 2 up to 3 times ( to remove lime), freshen in cold water. In a bowl, put 4 cups water and let boil.pour the sugar and mix, then add the rinds. let boil in slow fire in 30 to 40 mins or until rinds are semi transparent. pour the vanilla and mix and let boil for 5 mins. Remove from heat. Let stand for 2 to 3 hours to allow absorption of sugar. serve and enjoy! (note: to enjoy more, put in the fridge and let it cool)