Thai Chilled Watermelon Soup, Cilantro And Lime Zest

Ingredients -


5 cups watermelon,coarsely chopped, seeded and rind discarded
1 stalk lemongrass, fresh
3 tbsp shallots, freshly chopped
1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 small Serrano pepper or hot green chili
2 tbsp lemon juice
lime zest
salt to taste

Procedures -

Puree watermelon in a blender until smooth and transfer to a bowl. Discard 1 or 2 outer leaves of lemongrass and trim root end. Thinly slice lower 5 to 6 inches of stalk and then minced, discarding remainder. Cook lemongrass, shallots, ginger and garlic in olive oil in a heavy sauce pan over moderately low heat. Stirring until pale golden brown in color,about 5 minutes. Add about 1/3 of watermelon puree and simmer over moderate heat. Stirring for 5 minutes. Remove watermelon mixture from heat. Then transfer to blender along with chili, lime juice and salt and blend until smooth. Add remaining watermelon puree and blend briefly. Season soup with more chili, lime juice and salt if desired. Pour soup into a strainer. Pressing on and discarding any solids. Chill soup then serve.