Agua de Sandia -Mexican Watermelon Water

Agua de Sandia in Spanish literally translates to Watermelon water. Agua de Sandia is a flavor of Mexican beverages called aguas frescas (fresh waters) . These are beverages made of several ingredients or flavors including fruits, like watermelon, cantaloupe melon, cucumber, lime, strawberries, papaya, guava, tamarind and the list goes on. Nuts, seeds and grains can also be used for example, rice, almonds and barley. There is also one made with hibiscus flowers called agua de Jamaica, one of my favorites. The traditional recipes are very simple the ingredients are blended, water is added and some sugar can also be added to slightly sweeten the drinks.

Mexicans love agua frescas with our meals, they act as a cooling drink to compliment Mexican cuisine. They can also help tone down the burning in your mouth from the spiciness of the dishes, ( at least that is what I've experienced). If you walk into a Mexican restaurant or go to Mexico you will see huge glass containers with all the different flavors available. No matter what flavor you choose it will also be a great way to cool off in the summer heat. They are not sweet like soft drinks and are mostly water content from the fruits so they will actually leave your body feeling refreshed and re-hydrated. These are also perfect for Vegans, Vegetarians and those following a raw diet. I should also mention that they will also be much lower in calories and full of vitamins and antioxidants as compared to soft drinks or other sugary drinks which are full of love-handle growing ingredients and preservatives (E numbers), yuck!



* Please note this is a small recipe enough for 6 servings. But it can easily be doubled or tripled to fit your needs. *
Your Ingredients:
1/4 fresh watermelon ( with rind weight 2.5 lb. or 1.13 kilo - without rind 1.1 lb. or 500 grams)
3 cups or 750 ml cold water
The juice from 1 large lime
3 Tbs. granulated white sugar ( adjust to your taste)

Large Pitcher

Blender

Strainer
Ice cubes (optional)

1. Remove the rind and cut watermelon into cubes. Taste the watermelon to see how sweet it is and to get an idea of how much sugar you will need. Place the watermelon in a blender with half the water ( if you have a small blender you may need to do this in batches.) Blend the watermelon until it has completely broken down including the seeds if there are any. Or if you are concerned about the black seeds you can try to pick them out beforehand.

2. Pour the juice of 1 large lemon and the sugar into the pitcher, then place the strainer on top. Gently pour the watermelon water into the pitcher passing it through the strainer. Then add the rest of the water to the pitcher and stir until all ingredients are well incorporated.

It's best to allow the water to sit a bit before you serve it , so place inside the refrigerator or cover and leave on the counter for at least 30 minutes. When you are ready to server you can add a couple of ice cubes to each glass or just serve and enjoy.



The Agua de Sandia will really only keep fresh for one day, it looses it taste and a bit of the color the next day. This recipe can be tweaked and adjusted as you like. By adjusting the sugar amount and even the water amount depending on how juicy the watermelon is.



I hope you try this Agua de Sandia or any other flavor from a local Mexican restaurant very soon ! But just a tip for you, agua frescas never have ice crushed or blended in the mix they are not overly sweetened and are always made with seasonal fruit or fresh grains. If you see it different than I've told you, run .... OK you don't have to run, but don't drink it , it isn't an agua fresca!

*If you are interested in my other recipes for aguas frescas see my cucumber or agua de pepino. *

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Tostadas de Tinga made with Chicken

Let me first start of by saying.... GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! MEXICO , MEXICO,MEXICO,MEXICO!!!! LOL In case you are wondering what this is all about, Mexico schooled ( 2- 0 baby) France last night in their World Cup match, it was a great and very exciting game. Both goals had me jumping up and cheering - loudly! Sorry my "Frenchie" friends that you lost so bad, But I will root for you next game - as long as it isn't against Mexico of course.

Well moving on to the food, again to cheer on and celebrate another World Cup match FDG came over for dinner and I cooked foods to represent both countries. For Mexico I made Chicken Tinga Tostadas as the main course and to represent France and for dessert I made Tartelletes aux fruit. To drink I made Agua de Sandia or Watermelon water, which is an agua fresca or "fresh water" which are drinks made from fresh juicy fruits. But I will first give you the recipe for the Chicken Tinga Tostadas and the others to follow soon , ( I haven't forgotten about the previous match foods, recipes are coming for those too. )

What is a Tostada you ask? Tostada is Spanish for toasted , which depending on the Latin American country or Spain it can mean a slice of toasted bread, a fried plantain or a toasted corn tortilla. I'm talking about the Mexican Tostada, which is a corn tortilla that has been toasted or fried and topped with all sorts of ingredients. It can be as simple as spreading beans or maybe just crema and salsa to ones I like to call "loaded" topped with beans, meats , vegetables, salsas and chiles - we are talking a big satisfying meal. Today I am showing you Tostadas de Tinga made with Chicken. Tinga means ..... hmm mm.... well I'm a little embarrassed because I don't actually know exactly what the word means. But what is it?, that I can tell you. It is a very spicy stewed meat (either pork or chicken) that is made using the taste bud awakening smoky "ay mama, que picoso" Chipotle peppers. Chipotle peppers are Jalapenos that have been smoked to dry them. The ones for the Tinga are canned chipotle peppers that are in an adobo sauce or a red sauce that is tomato, vinegar and spices. I am warning you now this is a very spicy recipe so be careful or adjust to a level of spiciness you can tolerate.

First let me tell you how to make the tostada, there are two methods 1. frying the tortilla or 2. Baking it , my preferred way because it's healthier and lower in calories. Since I make my own tortillas I made sure they were thinner than usual so they would be crunchy and not to hard. If you are buying commercial tortillas you make have to adjust the baking time a bit.

Your Ingredients:

12 corn tortillas or tostadas
7 ounces or 200 grams canned Chipotle peppers en Adobo(or 5 )
5 ounces or 140 grams stewed tomatoes
10.5 ounces or 300 grams shredded chicken
14 ounces or 400 grams shredded cabbage
About 2 cups of refried beans
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt to taste
1 tbs. Corn oil or Sunflower oil

Optional Garnishes:
Crumbled cheese
Mexican sour cream
Avocado slices

1. Preheat oven to 225C or 435F . Place the Chipotle peppers and the stewed tomatoes in a blender with a pinch of salt and blend until it is a smooth sauce, set aside. Next shred the cabbage and chop the onion and mince the garlic. Heat the oil in a large pan, then add onion frying until it is translucent then add the garlic and fry for another 4 minutes. Next add the shredded cabbage to the pan , stir well to coat with the bit of oil. Cover and let the cabbage cook until it is slightly browned and translucent . This may take 15- 20 minutes, check on it so as not to let it burn.

2. Place a few tortillas at a time either directly on the oven rack or on a baking sheet ( I used the oven rack.) Close the oven door and allow each tortilla to bake for 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the tortilla. It should be crisp all the way through and not soft in the center. Once baked stack on a cooling rack or a plate. Continue repeating step 2 until all of the tortillas are baked or made into tostadas.

3. Once the tostadas are made and the cabbage has cooked through, add the chicken to the cabbage mixture and combine well. Next pour the Chipotle tomato mixture and stir the Tinga until it is well combined. If it looks a bit dry you can add a bit of stock or water. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until you are ready to serve.

To assemble the Tostadas:
Grab one tostada and spread some refried beans until it is well covered. Then spread the Tinga on top of the beans. It can be enjoyed liked this or at this time you may add any of the suggested garnishes/toppings. (* The amount or height of the tostadas depends on how much you of the ingredients would like to use. *)
Serve right away so the tostada doesn't become soggy.

How to eat:
Wash those hands well and get ready.... Pick up the tostada and take a big bite, delicioso! Be careful as they can be a bit messy until you get practice eating them. If you absolutely oppose to using your hands go ahead and grab a fork and spoon, we won't judge.

Wash it down with Agua de Sandia (recipe coming soon)

Finish with a Tartellete aux fruit (recipe can be found here)

An enthusiastic sports commentator from Czech TV who showed up ready to support Mexico wearing a Sombrero and poncho, ¡Ajúa!

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