MALAYSIAN WATERMELON SALAD

Malaysian Watermelon Salad image

Lower-calorie adaptation of the pork belly and watermelon salad recipe made famous by the Fatty Crab restaurant in New York City. Uses easily acquired ingredients. Still delicious.

Provided by Myra L.

Time 2h10m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

1 ½ cups seasoned rice vinegar
2 (3 inch) pieces fresh ginger root, peeled and lightly crushed
2 shallots, chopped
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups watermelon rind, white part only, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 (1 pound) package thick cut bacon
½ cup peeled and chopped fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, peeled
4 limes, juiced
1 cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 bunch cilantro, stems and leaves separated
12 cups chilled seedless watermelon, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 bunch green onions, chopped

Steps:

Bring 1 1/2 cups of seasoned rice vinegar to a boil in a saucepan, and mix in the 2 pieces of crushed ginger root, shallots, red pepper flakes, 1/4 cup of light brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir until the brown sugar and salt have dissolved, and remove from heat. Place watermelon rind into a large heatproof nonreactive bowl, and strain the pickling liquid through a fine mesh strainer into the watermelon rind. Stir to combine, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Chop the bacon into pieces when cooled.
For dressing, place 1/2 cup of peeled and chopped ginger, garlic, lime juice, 1 cup of seasoned rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and cilantro stems in a blender. Blend on high speed, scraping down blender sides occasionally, until the ginger and cilantro stems are pulverized and the dressing is thoroughly blended.
To assemble, place about 1 cup of watermelon cubes onto a salad plate, and drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Top with about 2 tablespoons of the pickled rind, 1 to 2 tablespoons of bacon bits, 1 tablespoon of cilantro leaves, and about 1/2 tablespoon of chopped green onion, or to taste.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 323 calories, Carbohydrate 55.1 g, Cholesterol 20.5 mg, Fat 8.7 g, Fiber 2.7 g, Protein 10.1 g, SaturatedFat 2.7 g, Sodium 2461.3 mg, Sugar 39.6 g