WATERMELON POPSICLE

Given the present heat, I crave for two things.... rain and coolers.... I feel a fresh fruit popsicle is the best to keep us hydrated, get us a cool feel in this tropical climate. Besides, it is a good way  to feed fruits to the kids at home. It is altogether a feel good thing to watch our kids happily having them.

Back then in our childhood, we called them kathi[stick] ice-cream. As kids, we were acquainted with the approaching sound of the wheeled carts. Inside the box were many colourful and flavourful "kathi" ice creams lying on a bed of ice cubes. To us, it was a pandora box. In those days the school gates were flocked with all sorts of vendors.... ice-cream seller, pickle seller, panipuri seller in the afternoon. We were devoid of this pleasure as our school was within a protected area where such vendors were denied access..... 

Once we were in the road and until we reached home... only one sentence I would plead "Mani.... get me one".... the inevitable answer was....'they are made with dirty water'. My brother somehow managed these stuffs from the mother on his way back from the school. In our middle class household there was no refrigerator until I was in the eighth standard. Hence, she could not promise of a home made one. Ice cream meant only Kwality Ice-cream 2-3 times a month. When I was at the grandparent's place, I had the pleasure to have them.

I really do not know what gave me / us more pleasure, it's cooling effect or the natural red colour that painted our lips and tongue. I loved them to the extent that I even wished to marry an ice-cream seller or a "ghugniwala". Perhaps no guy came near me in fear of selling ice-creams or living with a silly-mad romantic under one roof for life. Hahaha.... jokes are but jokes.... I love making up stories, people who take the pain of reading my blog, deserve some relief.... comic or otherwise.

Meanwhile, the wiser person at home who was destined to live with an insane woman says my mental age is same as was 25 years back. The lady of the house holds tight the popsicle on her left hand, sucks it and  reads Jhumpa Lahiri at the same time. She is happy in her own world, which is small and weird. Since she did not marry a popsicle seller, she keeps making popsicles for herself and her teen boyfriend.... with whom she is in a 'living in relationship'... until a young lady comes and snatches him away.

By the way, I was overjoyed to see my childhood crush "Kathi ice-cream" sold as "Potong ice-cream" in this island. Yet I prefer making them at home. I prepared these WATERMELON POPSICLES with 3-4 ingredients and trust me the entire process was too quick leaving the freezing period. Do not worry if you are not having popsicle moulds, do it using plastic glasses and ice-cream sticks. I have moulds but I find the plastic glasses easier. Let us see how we do it.

INGREDIENTS :

Watermelon : 1/4 of a big sized
Lemon Juice : 1tbsp
Ginger Extract : 1tsp

Black Salt : 1/4 tsp
Sugar : 2tsp

METHOD :

Wash, de-seed and cut off the white and green parts of the watermelon, we need only the red portion.

Put the watermelon pieces in a juicer or blender not used for blending spices.

Blend for 2-3 minutes at intervals. Pour on to a vessel.

Strain the entire content, store in another vessel. Add the lemon juice, ginger extract, sugar, black salt. Mix them well.

Pour into plastic or paper or thermocol glasses, freeze for few hours.

Cover each glass with aluminium foil, make a slit in the middle, insert ice-cream bamboo stick and freeze for few hours.

Thereafter,  they should be ready to serve. Tear off the glasses to serve them.

Enjoy, revisit your childhood anytime!