Mom’s Watermelon Rind Fries (Tarbooz Bhajiya)

My mom’s special watermelon rind fries are easy to make, delicious, and gluten-free! Serve these homemade tarbooz bhajiyas with green chutney or tomato sauce!

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We were making mom’s watermelon rind sabzi a couple of weeks ago, and I asked mom about making something different this time. With the weather all nice and rainy and cool, the first thing we Indians think of is warm bhajis and pakoras with chai.

And we’ve heard of the watermelon pakoras that North Indians make. But how to make them better. So we threw a few ideas around and thought why not make watermelon rind fries? And that’s what we did!

Why waste when you can make full use of the entire watermelon, skin and all! We took mom’s batter for making potato bhajiyas and onion bhajis, changed it up a bit to make it gluten-free and viola, watermelon rind fries! Who knew they would taste so good!

So next time you’re munching on that juicy watermelon, save the skin to make yummy watermelon rind fries!

What Ingredients do you need to make Watermelon Rind Fries?

All you need is watermelon rind, rice flour, besan (chickpea flour), ginger garlic paste (or ginger paste and garlic paste), chili powder, salt, sugar, and hing aka asafoetida. Oil for cooking the fries.

How do you make Gluten Free Watermelon Rind Fries?

Start by cutting the watermelons. Store or eat the fruit. We love eating it with pepper and salt. Do not discard the rind! That’s what we need to make these fries. Cut them into thin long slices and remove the skin. This time we discard the skin. But if you want a recipe that uses the skin too, try my mom’s watermelon rind sabzi!

In a vessel, mix the ingredients and spices together – sugar, salt, red chili powder, garlic ginger paste, and hing. This paste will be your marinade for the watermelon rind. Mix the watermelon rind in the marinade and allow it to marinate for an hour or two. If you want it in a hurry, just do a short 15-minute marination, but usually the longer the better.

After marination, you will notice that the watermelon has released juices. Drain out the juices to another bowl. You can use this instead of water to add flavor your batter.

Just add some rice flour and besan flour (chickpea flour) to the juices and mix well. Add the watermelon rind pieces to the bowl and mix well.

In another deep-bottom vessel, heat oil for frying the fries. We prefer to use filtered oil.

When the oil is hot enough, add the watermelon rind pieces to it and deep fry them for a few minutes. Stir with a sieve to turn the pieces over and cook on all sides. Drain the oil with a sieve when removing the watermelon fries and place them in a thali with paper towels to drain the excess oil.

You can use the leftover oil to make some other dish or for frying other bhajiyas the next time, don’t discard it. It can be re-used a few times before you throw it out.

Serve these warm watermelon rind bhajiyas with green chutney or tomato chutney or with ketchup. They taste great on their own too!

Cooking Tips & Tricks

• Whenever you eat watermelon, you can just cut the rind and store it in the fridge to make fries. It last for a few weeks before making the fries.
• After cooking the fries, eat them within a week. Reheat before serving.
• Instead of water, use the juices from the marinade to make the batter for the fries.
• Using rice flour and chickpea aka besan flour makes it gluten-free.
• The filtered oil that is used for frying can be kept to be used a couple more times before you discard it. If you’re using processed oil, don’t reuse it.

Questions about Watermelon Rind Fries

What Part Is The Watermelon Rind?

The rind is the green and white part of the watermelon fruit below the skin that is left after you remove the pink fleshy part that’s commonly eaten.

Why Eat Watermelon Rind?

Just like the seeds of a watermelon, the rind has many good attributes. Containing more fiber, vitamins, and minerals, the skin of the watermelon is actually healthier than the fruit.

How Long Can You Store Watermelon Rind Fries?

Watermelon rind fries can be stored for about a week in the refrigerator. Reheat in the frying pan before serving.

What Else Can You Make With Watermelon Rind?

You can use watermelon rind to make pakoras or my mom’s watermelon rind veggie pickle.

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