Drink Me
It has been exactly a week since I returned from Thailand and I am still trying to catch up with our Seattle summer. My friends have all assured me that I didn’t miss much during the past month as we are still having the same cold weather we had in June. This July, Seattle hit the record lowest temperature for summer, so all I really need to catch up on is eating the plentiful seasonal fruits and vegetables from the local farmers markets and nearby towns.
Hami Melon
During my first grocery shopping back here in Seattle, my cart was full with all sorts of berries. And then my eye caught on a good-looking melon that I haven’t tried: Hami melon. It is grown in California and available from mid-May to July and from September to December. I let it ripen at home for a few days and its sweet aroma was inviting me to taste it. The sweet scent reminds me of the Thai long muskmelon that I used to grow a long time ago in my organic garden in Phuket—it grew abundantly despite my lack of knowledge and farming experience.
Hami Melon
Hami melon is a type of muskmelon, a Chinese melon variety. A good one can taste sweeter and have a higher sugar content than most other varieties of melon. I decided to make a smoothie with coconut milk to duplicate Taeng Thai Kati, a famous Thai muskmelon dessert made with coconut milk, but we will drink ours instead of eating it. I kept the flavor profile and the amounts of ingredients the same as in Taeng Thai Kati, but added a generous amount of crushed ice and simple syrup to turn it into a nice cold smoothie. I used only one-third cup coconut milk in my recipe, a perfect amount to make a smoothie, a healthy summer drink. But if you are looking for a nice milkshake-like drink and dessert combo, add a scoop or two of coconut ice cream; it would taste heavenly. When a sweet flavor is needed, honey or palm sugar simple syrup are good choices to add a dimension of sweetness and aroma.
Coconut Melon Smoothie
Coconut Melon Smoothie
Nam Kati Taeng Thai Smoothie
น้ำกะทิแตงไทยสมูทตี้
Serves: 2 to 4
Yield: 3 cups
16 ounces (see note) diced Hami melon, seeded, peeled and diced, or substitute honey-dew melon ⅓ cup coconut milk or coconut ice cream, more as desired 1½ cups crushed ice 2 tablespoons palm sugar simple syrup, optional (see note) pinch of saltPlace melon, coconut milk, ice, sugar and salt in the blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and serve right away with a straw.
Pranee’s Note
A 4-pound Hami melon (medium size), seeded, peeled and diced will yield about 2 pounds of diced melon. To make palm sugar simple syrup, place a disc of palm sugar (about 4 tablespoons) and about ¼ cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Cool and chill. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week. Yield: ¼ cup. © 2011 Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen I Love Thai cooking Pranee teaches Thai Cooking classes in the Seattle area. Her website is: I Love Thai cooking.com .Related articles
- ~Thai Cooking with Coconut, What Is a Coconut?~ (ilovethaicooking.wordpress.com)
- Tropical Fruit Facts and Legends: Coconut – The Tree of Life (travellingartist.wordpress.com)
- Get Back Your Smoothie Mojo! (oldwaystable.org)
- Pineapple Coconut Freeze Smoothie (gabrielconstans.wordpress.com)
Pranee's Thai Kitchen 
