Vai Meleni (Sāmoan Watermelon Drink)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large-hole box grater or food processor with coarse grating disk
• •Wide 3-quart mixing bowl or carved wooden serving bowl
• •Coconut cloth, clean kitchen towel, or fine-mesh strainer for fresh cream
• •2-quart pitcher or ladle for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill the bowl

   Set the watermelon, coconut cream, and serving bowl in the refrigerator before you start. Vai meleni tastes cleanest when the cold comes from the fruit itself, not from so much ice that the drink goes thin. A chilled bowl buys you time at the picnic table.

2. 2

   Grate the meleni

   Cut away the rind, remove any hard seeds, and grate the watermelon on the large holes of a box grater into a wide bowl, catching every drop of juice. You want soft red pulp swimming in its own sweet water, not a smooth purée. That hand-grated texture is the drink.

3. 3

   Ready the cream

   Whisk the peʻepeʻe until it is smooth and pourable. If you squeezed it fresh from grated niu, strain out any rough bits and chill it. If you're using canned coconut cream, stir the thick cap and liquid back together until no lumps remain.

   Don't use sweetened cream of coconut. Vai meleni only needs real coconut cream and a little sugar you control yourself.
4. 4

   Sweeten the vai

   Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar and the salt over the grated watermelon, then stir until the grains disappear into the juice. Taste before adding more. If the meleni is heavy, ripe, and sweet, no need make it candy. Eat what you have, and listen to the fruit.

5. 5

   Fold and loosen

   Pour in the coconut cream and fold gently until the drink turns pale rose, creamy but still bright. Add the lime or lemon if you want a small sharp edge, then loosen with cold water or clear ice until it pours easily but still carries spoonfuls of watermelon pulp.

   Add citrus close to serving and keep it light. The point is watermelon and coconut, not a sour drink.
6. 6

   Serve it cold

   Chill 10 to 15 minutes, stir again because the pulp will settle, then ladle into cups with a few small watermelon cubes if you're using them. Serve cold and close to drinking. At a picnic, keep the bowl in a cooler and stir before every round.

Chef Tips

• •Choose the melon by weight and smell. It should feel heavy for its size, with a creamy field spot and a clean, sweet scent at the stem end. The ugly one may be the best one. We no throw out good food.
• •Fresh coconut cream carries the soul here. Grate mature coconut, squeeze the first cream rich, and chill it. A good canned coconut cream is fine for the weekday table, just stir it smooth.
• •The texture should be between drink and fruit salad. If you want it thinner, add cold water one splash at a time. If you want it richer for dessert, add a little more coconut cream.
• •Sugar follows the fruit. Start small, taste cold, then adjust. Cold dulls sweetness, so what tastes just right warm can taste quiet after chilling.
• •Vai meleni is best the day you make it. The watermelon keeps releasing water and the coconut cream changes as it sits, so make it near the meal and pour it generously.

Advance Preparation

• •Chill the whole watermelon overnight so the drink starts cold before ice touches it.
• •Grate the watermelon up to 4 hours ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Stir in coconut cream closer to serving.
• •For a picnic, carry the finished vai meleni in a cold cooler and keep it shaded. Once the coconut cream is mixed in, don't leave it sitting in the sun.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 265g)