Yahoo Lifestyle This 3-Ingredient Filipino Drink Is The Perfect Thirst Quencher Before Melon Season Ends — And It Takes Less Than 15 Minutes To Make
Hi! I'm Dannica, I'm Filipina, and cantaloupe juice has been one of my favorite drinks since, like, ever. I'm sure other countries have their own variation of cantaloupe juice, but in the Philippines, we call it Melon sa Malamig — or, for short, Melon.
In Tagalog, "Melon" is pronounced "Meh-lohn." "Melon sa Malamig" roughly translates to "chilled melon drink."
During the summertime, my mom makes Melon and serves it to my siblings and me in tall glasses paired with spoons and straws. Made by shredding a ripe cantaloupe into beautiful ribbons, Melon is my ultimate comfort drink — it's so refreshing, so sweet, and so delicious. Honestly, the only time you'll catch cantaloupe near my mouth is when I'm drinking Melon. (I hate eating it in chunks, IDK why). And whenever I head to a local Filipino shop, I always look to see if I can grab a cup of Melon to quench my thirst and — not even being corny — relive the feelings of childhood.
When it comes to Filipino drinks and desserts, Melon probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. Halo-halo — a shaved ice–and–ice cream sundae hybrid — has definitely risen in popularity over the years among non-Filipinos. Though it's definitely a tasty and refreshing treat, making it at home would probably require a trip to an Asian grocery store in order to find all the traditional ingredients needed (gulaman, jackfruit, sweetened beans, etc.). And that's why I love Melon! It's just as refreshing, it satisfies my sweet tooth, and it's devastatingly easy to make. (If y'all want to know a secret, I don't really like halo-halo all that much. Shhh, don't tell my ancestors.)
Not only is this Melon recipe — made with three ingredients — perfect to ride out the warmer weather and a great way to take advantage of melon season, but it also makes a pitcher's worth of juice, making it ideal for get-togethers and for sipping throughout the week. And the best part? It takes less than 15 minutes to make! Now, if you're ready to potentially inadvertently consume an entire cantaloupe, let's get on with my mom's Melon recipe. As I mentioned, you only need three ingredients: a ripe cantaloupe, white granulated sugar, and water.
The water is not pictured because, well, the water comes directly from my fridge.
STEP 1: Cut your cantaloupe in half and scoop out the seeds. I used an ice cream scooper, but you can definitely just use a regular spoon. If there are some seed stragglers, it's OK! As for the melon guts, you can go ahead and trash 'em.
Taking out the seeds of this melon felt as if I was pregaming for Halloween pumpkin carvings, so if you're looking for ways to get into the spooky-season mood, crack open a melon.
STEP 2: Shred the melon. This is the most tedious part of the recipe, just because you're essentially ripping through the entire cantaloupe. There are a couple of ways you can get the lovely cantaloupe ribbons, but the two easiest methods are by using either a fork or a "melon grater."
OK, I honestly don't know if the "melon grater" has an official name, but I'm just going to call it a melon grater/shredder/scraper/clawer until someone tells me otherwise. If you want to purchase one of these fun little tools, you can find it at an Asian grocery store! BUT if you don't mind cutting your cantaloupe into chunks, you can also use a box grater to get those wonderful melon ribbons.
As you're shredding the melon, have your pitcher next to you so that you can fill it with the cantaloupe ribbons as you go along. As you're shredding, the melon juice will also come out, so you can empty all that good stuff into the pitcher as well. Scrape your fork or melon grater all along the sides and the bottom of the cantaloupe, making sure you get everything. In this economy, we gotta get our money's worth.
For comparison, here's what the ribbons look like using the melon grater versus a fork:
It's definitely much easier using the melon grater, thanks to the tiny holes the tool has, but using a fork works also! If you don't mind having wider ribbons, you can even use a spoon.
After you've shredded up both halves of the melon, your pitcher should be almost full with juice and cantaloupe ribbons.
The orange color is so gorgeous! It's giving cantaloupe couture. Melon maquillage.
STEP 3: Add 2 cups of water to the pitcher. Adding in water helps to mellow out the strong melon flavor while also adding more volume.
STEP 4: Add a ½ cup of sugar and mix thoroughly. Of course, feel free to add as little or as much sugar as you prefer! I personally don't like my Melon too sweet, so a ½ cup was just the right amount for my taste.
If you don't want to use sugar as a sweetener, you can also try using honey or agave.
And you're done! Chill your Melon pitcher in the fridge or, if you're like me and can't wait, get some ice in a glass, pour some juice in there, and use a spoon or ladle to scoop in some of those yummy cantaloupe ribbons.
Use a straw to sip on the juice, then use a spoon to munch on the cantaloupe strings!
Whether you're still trying to keep cool from the sizzling heat (I live in California, where summer basically lasts until November), you want to make the most out of melon season before it ends, or you're looking to try a quick and easy Filipino recipe, Melon is the way to go!
If you're interested in making Melon, here are some tips to keep in mind:
• You do not need to go out and spend your hard-earned money on a melon grater! It's totally OK to use a fork, spoon, or box grater to scrape that melon up.
• If you don't want to make a whole pitcher's worth of Melon, feel free to use only half of the cantaloupe for juice and the other half for snacking. If you do end up using only half of the melon, use 1 cup of water and ¼ cup of sugar.
• Conversely, Melon is a perfect drink to make for parties — double, triple, or even quadruple the recipe if you're hosting a big group of people.
• If you have extra Melon, turn it into ice pops! Get an ice pop mold, pour your extra Melon, then let it set in the freezer.
• If you want to add a little more creaminess to your Melon, add in some sweetened condensed milk.
