Palestinians love watermelon and cheese. This popular dish serves as a delicious dinner, which is usually eaten while sitting on the balcony or a veranda during summers. Yes, the place matters too! Some include onions while others don’t, but onions add a nice contrast to the sweetness of the watermelon and the creaminess of the cheese. (Serves 4)
Ingredients
- 1 small watermelon
- 250 grams of good-quality feta cheese
- ½ red onion, sliced into half-moons
- Handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
- Icing (optional)
- 1¼ cup (5 oz /150 g) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- Juice of 1 lemon
While Palestinians use their traditional white cheese, the closest we can get is Feta cheese. You may also want to try an Arab store and see if they have the traditional one. But make sure the cheese you buy is not very salty. It just needs light, and just the right amount of, salt.
Cut the watermelon and feta cheese into cubes — the cheese cubes slightly smaller in size — and mix them together. Mix in the slices of red onion.
Sprinkle some sugar on the mint leaves if you wish and scatter them all over the salad. The combination is a delicious salad. Eat within an hour of serving else the salad will become mushy and lose its freshness.
Dr. Bilal Philips