Watermelon and summer seem to go hand in hand, the perfect combination – sublime & even blissful. We are big watermelon fans in our house, we enjoy both the fruit & also its juice. But one of our absolute favorite ways to enjoy this delicious fruit is by eating my healthy & refreshing Watermelon, Paneer & Cucumber Skewers. Watermelon is a good source of Vitamins A, B6 and C. It is also high in both beta-carotene & lycopene.

The key to this dish really lies in the sumac that I sprinkle liberally over the skewers just before serving. Now sumac is a lovely red-colored Middle Eastern spice obtained from the sumac berry that grows freely throughout the Southern Mediterranean region. The berry is dried and then ground into a coarse powder. Sumac can be found in any gourmet store or specialty market. If sumac is just not available in your area, just substitute a pinch of smoked Spanish paprika for color.

Not only are my Watermelon, Paneer & Cucumber Skewers fun to make (& eat), but they are also a great way to get the kids into the kitchen to help ☺. They are also perfect for entertaining, so simple to prepare & they can also be made well in advance. Best of all, this dish requires no cooking whatsoever!!


WATERMELON, PANEER & CUCUMBER SKEWERS

Ingredients:

2-3 cups watermelon, cut into 1” size cubes (or you can use a melon baller to make watermelon balls)
2 small Persian cucumbers (or ½ small English cucumber) – peeled, seeded & cut into ½” thick rounds
2 cups extra firm, fresh paneer, cut into 1” size cubes
1 tbsp sumac
salt & pepper, to taste
½- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
finely minced fresh mint leaves for garnish

20 short bamboo skewers (about 4” in length)

METHOD:

Start threading the skewers alternating between pieces of watermelon, paneer & cucumber/per skewer. Keep chilled in the refrigerator until serving. Just before serving, arrange the skewers on a large platter. Then drizzle them lightly with the extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle them with a little salt, pepper & the sumac.
Garnish with the fresh mint & serve chilled.

Depending upon the size, you should get about 16-20 skewers.


VARIATIONS:

Instead of skewers, you could also just toss together the ingredients in a large salad bowl & serve ☺. You could make these skewers using your favorite variety of fruit combinations – instead of cucumber, use cantaloupe or honeydew melon in place.

If you are unable to find sumac – feel free to use chaat masala, black salt (kala namak) or even garam masala. Remember, if you are using black salt – there is no need to add regular salt.

Feta is also a great cheese for this dish if paneer is not available.



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