Fried Coconut Melon
Serves 4–5
2 pounds winter melon
7 tablespoons flour
½ cup flaked coconut
4 cups oil for deep-frying
Cocktail Complement:
Goin’ Coconutini (page 13)
1. Peel the winter melon and remove seeds. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
2. In a preheated wok or skillet, heat 4 cups of oil to 250°F. Just before frying, lightly dust a few melon pieces with flour. Slide those pieces into the wok. Deep-fry until light brown, being sure to keep the oil temperature around 250°F. Continue the process until all the melon is fried.
3. As you remove melon pieces from the wok, dust with the coconut and serve immediately.
Melon-choly Platter
Serve fried winter melon on a red platter decorated with chocolate watermelon seeds. To make the chocolate seeds, simply melt some chocolate in the microwave, dip your finger in the chocolate, and dot around the red or melon-colored platter to make it look like watermelon seeds. Arrange the Fried Coconut Melon on the platter.
