Watermelon Subzi by Sumati Rajurkar (my Aai)
My post today is about when it rained
watermelons when Santa brought the Edgar’s Mission residents 300kg of
watermelon for Christmas!
Edgar’s Mission is a not for profit Farm
Sanctuary that seeks to create a humane and just world for humans and
non-humans. Named after Edgar Alan Pig, the founder Pam Ahern’s first rescued
pig, the farm is set on 153 peaceable acres nestled in the tranquility of the
Macedon Ranges in Victoria. The farm sanctuary currently provides life-long
love and care to over 300 rescued animals.
Millions of farmed animals daily endure
lives of abject misery in factory farms in Australia. Barely able to move, they endure acts of
cruelty that would be illegal if they were your cat or dog. Imagine a life
without sunshine, without freedom, without being able to socialize, without
hope … that’s the ‘life’ of a factory-farmed animal.
How has this happened? As custodians of
this planet, we have designated some animals friends and some animals food. Yet
they are no different. All share the same ability to suffer; the same need and
desire to experience life, for it to have joy, meaning and purpose.
Edgar’s Mission offers a glimpse into a
different world – a merciful world.
A world where chickens, ducks, pigs, goats,
cows and sheep run across the sunny green meadows as their humans run ahead of
them and burst cool and sweet watermelons on the ground for them slurp and burp
on!
You can watch the very heartwarming video
on the link below:
Information and video courtesy Edgar’s
Mission.
It rind watermelons some other place too!
I am spending the Christmas week with my
Aai and Niki and Tala, my brother’s husky and malamute dogs respectively, while
their mum and dad and brothers are on holidays in India.
After feasting on exotica like biryani and
Christmas goodies for a couple of days, it was refreshing to dig into a very deliciously
homespun meal of rice and dal and some watermelon rind subzi Aai made. Here goes the recipe.
Watermelon Rind Subzi
Ingredients
2 cups cubed watermelon rind (only the
whites)
2 tbsp chana daal – soaked for 20 minutes
and drained
1-2 green chillies, chopped
2-3 tbsp chopped coriander
2 tsps oil
¼ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp cumin seeds
A large pinch of hing
¼ tsp turmeric
½ tsp coriander powder
1 tsp crushed roasted peanuts
1 tsp crushed toasted sesame seeds
Salt to taste
A few curry leaves
Method
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and
mustard seeds to crackle. Next add curry
leaves, chillies, asafetida and turmeric. Now add the cubed rind and stir well
into the spiced oil to coat all pieces.
Next spread the soaked and drained dal on
top of the cubed rind and cover and cook for a while, taking care not to stir -
so the dal starts to cook with the moisture underneath.
Uncover the pan and add a little water if required
and then cover the pan and continue to cook it on low flame.
Check on the doneness from time to time.
When the watermelon rind looks translucent and the daal is cooked, it’s time to
season the subzi with salt, crushed sesame and peanut, coriander powder and let
the subzi rest for a while to soak up the flavours.
Garnish with chopped coriander. Serve with
chapati, poori, paratha or hot daal and rice.
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