6 Cooling Melons for the Summer

Fruits are always refreshing, and melons are among the tastiest options, with many variants and flavours. Often packed within their firm or sturdy skins are soft, juicy edible ‘flesh’, filled with wholesome vitamins, minerals, and a host of health benefits; including strengthen your immune system, regulate blood pressure, prevent dehydration, improve skin health, support digestion, as well as a natural cooling effect – which makes them perfect for the summer.

In Asian cuisines, melons are enjoyed in a myriad of sweet desserts, salads and savoury delicacies, which you can make with our authentic recipes! So don’t let the summer heat wear you down. Refresh your senses and delight your tastebuds with these 6 yummy melon favourites!

Watermelon

Beloved across many cuisines and most favoured in tropical Southeast Asia, watermelons are naturally sweet and contain 90% water. Enjoyed fresh on their own, juiced and iced for an instant cooling drink, or sliced and diced for mixed fruit desserts. In Thai cuisine, the watermelon’s juicy sweetness becomes a tempering agent for their signature blend of spicy, tangy and savoury flavours, creating a uniquely bold-flavoured salad that excites, pleasures and cools your tastebuds in every bite. You can also ‘upgrade’ your Thai watermelon salad with fresh cooked prawns in this award-winning recipe!

Rock Melon

Cantaloupe or rock melon have a sturdy amber ‘skin’ with a net-like pattern, and firm tender insides with a sweet fragrant taste. Delectable in this milky iced dessert with sweet sago. Instant cooling pleasure! Make yours fresh with our recipe.

Pumpkin

Yes, pumpkin is a melon too! Introduced to China via sea trade in the 5th Century and had since become a favourite melon across Asian cuisines. Enjoy a fruity sweet and savoury Korean pumpkin pancake. Ease and balance the Thai Red Curry heat with pumpkin sweetness in this award-winning special. Savour a wonderful Thai custard pumpkin. And check out more Asian pumpkin yummies in our recipes collection!

Bitter Melon

Bitter melon or bitter gourd is named for its flavour – a bracing bitterness that tapers off to a fruity aftertaste. Always enjoyed cooked in savoury Asian dishes. Chinese cuisine often braises it with chicken or pork, flavoured with richly savoury sauces and seasonings to smoothen and blend the bitter melon’s taste. Try it in this authentic claypot recipe! Don’t have a claypot? No worries. Any cast-iron pot with a thick bottom can do too.

Hairy Melon

Named after its ‘fuzzy’ skin, Hairy Melon is actually Winter Melon before it fully matures, with a slightly sweeter taste. A favourite in Chinese cuisine. Just peel off the skin and cook it! When stir-fried, the melon softens but retains its shape and absorbs all the flavours you cook with it, like in this easy savoury comfort dish with vermicelli and dried shrimp. Best enjoyed with rice and meaty dishes. Whip it up with our recipe!

Honeydew

Next to watermelon, honeydew is the sweetest melon on this list. Most often enjoyed in Asian desserts and mixed-fruit salads. You can even pulp your honeydew to savour its bold sweet flavour and aroma as a creamy drink!

More Fruity Goodness

Asians enjoy many juicy, tasty and wholesome fruits that are unique to their cultures and locality. Come discover 6 strange yet amazing Asian fruits you may not know about. Asia is also home to some of the world’s largest fruit producers, with refined growing techniques that birthed these 10 most expensive darlings. Last but not least, come discover the 4 tropical fruits that are integral to traditional Thai cuisine!