This is one of those occasions when a sweet fruit, more traditionally eaten for breakfast or after a meal, crosses over into the savoury realm. Watermelon does it successfully here because it’s fresh and cooling. Therefore, although there’s plenty of heat in the dressing, it’s the perfect antidote to hot and spicy and/or fatty food, or simply as a mezze-style dish on a sweltering day.
The fish sauce is instrumental in flavouring and binding the salad; don’t hold back. The squeeze of sriracha (a hot chilli sauce from Thailand) is essential too because it adds an addictively piquant mix of chilli and garlic, putting this squarely in the side-dish (rather than pudding) camp. If you can’t find sriracha, double the fresh chilli in the recipe and add half a clove of crushed garlic.
Ingredients
- 1 kg watermelon, rind removed, cut into 3 cm cubes, chilled
- 300 g cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 cm crescents, chilled
- 3 tablespoons sriracha chilli sauce
- 6 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 cm fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 2 teaspoons palm sugar or golden caster sugar
- 1 lime juice
- 1 bird’s eye chilli, thinly sliced
- Leaves from 10–15 stems mint, rolled and finely shredded
- 15–20 basil leaves (preferably Thai), torn
- A handful of bean shoots (optional)
- Ensure the watermelon and cucumber are fridge-cold before preparing the salad. Mix the chilli sauce, fish sauce, ginger, sugar and lime juice in a large bowl. Add the watermelon, cucumber and bird’s eye chilli. Toss gently, but thoroughly enough to ensure they are well coated. Let this sit in the fridge for a few minutes.
- Add three quarters of the herbs and the bean shoots, if you’re using them. Mix and serve immediately, with the remaining herbs scattered over the top.
