Watermelons are now in the market. This juicy, sweet fruit is both tasty and good for the body: full of vitamins and minerals, it keeps the body fresh and does a great job of replacing lost water.

When we eat watermelon, most of us eat only the red part and throw away the rind. Yet the white part inside the rind is edible too, and it can be made into a tasty dish. Many people have eaten chicken fry or potato fries; for a different taste, try making fries from watermelon rind.

Here is how to make watermelon rind French fries.

• Watermelon rind: 1 cup
• Ginger-garlic paste: 1 teaspoon
• Chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
• Rice flour: 2 tablespoons
• Cornflour: half a cup
• Chaat masala: half a teaspoon
• Lemon juice: 1 tablespoon
• Salt: to taste
• Oil: as needed

First remove the hard green outer part of the rind and cut the white inner part into long slices. Coat the slices well with the ginger-garlic paste, salt, chilli powder, chaat masala and lemon juice. Leave them for about 10 minutes so the flavour soaks in.

Next make a thin batter of cornflour and rice flour and dip each piece in it thoroughly. Heat oil in a pan and deep-fry the pieces over medium heat. When they turn light golden and crisp, lift them out. Serve the watermelon rind fries hot with mayonnaise or your favourite sauce.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.