Subak or Watermelon Hwachae Recipe
Recipe Overview
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 0 minutes
Ingredients Needed
- 250g/8.8ozs watermelon balls or cubes
- 100g/3.5ozs blueberries
- 100g/3.5oz strawberries or lychees
- 200ml/7flozs strawberry milk
- 200ml/7flozs sprite
- 30-50g/1-1.7ozs tablespoons condensed milk or honey
- Ice cubes (optional)
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1 - Whisk the strawberry milk and condensed milk or honey together until melded together. Add sprite and watermelon balls and berries (and any watermelon juice from balling the watermelon). If the watermelon isn't sweet allow to steep overnight. Otherwise you can eat it straight away. Add ice cubes if desired.
Storage Tips
Hwachae lasts in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
The hardest thing is actually finding a perfectly sweet watermelon and I've got some tips for you. Ever since we started making this once a week, finding the watermelon itself has been the most challenging thing. The key is to look for an orange, creamy "field spot" on the melon (where the watermelon sits on the field). A deeper yellow or orange field spot typically indicates it has stayed on the vine longer and has more flavour and sweetness. If the field spot is white, it's a sign that the melon isn't fully ripe. And it honestly hasn't failed me since I learnt this.
Mr NQN's brother Manu is a bit of a watermelon whisperer (of sorts). He always brings the sweetest watermelon to parties. I asked him his secret for finding the sweetest watermelon.
Manu is a very straightforward country boy, like his brother Mr NQN. He tipped his head back and thought for a moment before answering.
"I dunno... I walk into the shop and ask them, 'Do you have any watermelons?' and then they point me in the direction of the watermelons. And I buy them," he said. He wasn't being facetious, he was simply telling us how he managed to get a sweet watermelon every time!
So tell me Dear Reader, are you good at picking watermelons? Have you ever tried Hwachae?