Jungbok Is Approaching: How to Make Thirst-Quenching Watermelon Hwachae with Fridge Staples in 5 Minutes

With the heat wave continuing day after day, Jungbok, the middle of Korea’s three hottest summer days, is already approaching. Foods that can quench thirst are drawing attention amid weather so humid and sweltering that it is likened to the heat inside a cauldron. Why not beat the summer heat and thirst with hwachae, an essential summertime fruit punch? Here are several ways to make hwachae using ingredients found at home, including milk, lemon-lime soda, cola and yogurt.

A ripe watermelon makes a resonant sound when tapped, and its rind color and black stripes are vivid. One with a smaller navel on the bottom also has a higher sugar content.

Ingredients: 1/2 watermelon, 300 ml lemon-lime soda or Milkis, 2 tablespoons condensed milk

Scoop the watermelon into balls with a spoon or cut it into cubes with a knife. Place the watermelon in a bowl and add the prepared lemon-lime soda or Milkis. For a richer flavor, you can also add about 500 ml of milk. Drizzle condensed milk over the watermelon hwachae for a sweet finish. Add about 5–6 ice cubes and serve.

An unusual watermelon hwachae: How to make it with cola

Lemon-lime soda is normally used to make hwachae, but cola can be substituted if none is available. To make cola watermelon hwachae, prepare as much watermelon as you would like to eat and place it in a bowl, pour cola over it, then top it with lemon or cherries.

If you do not like carbonated drinks, you can use milk and yogurt. Baek Jong-won, in particular, used strawberry milk to add a sweet-and-tangy flavor. The ingredients for milk hwachae are 1/4 watermelon, 200 ml milk and 3 teaspoons condensed milk. You can also add canned fruit cocktail or assorted fruits. First, cut the watermelon into bite-sized pieces. Mix the milk and condensed milk thoroughly, then add the watermelon and fruit. Finish by floating ice on top.

Yogurt hwachae is a good option when you do not have condensed milk because yogurt itself tastes sweet and tangy. Place the prepared watermelon in a bowl and pour in as much yogurt as desired. Sprinkle star-shaped sugar candies on top for extra sweetness.

[FAM Times = Reporter Kim Ah-hyun]