Watermelon Rind Cooks Into a Thai Sour Curry

Watermelon — แตงโม (taeng-mo) — Citrullus lanatus.

In Thai kitchens it gets pickled and simmered into sour curry. The sweet flesh is the main edible part, and the rind and seeds are edible too. Across randomized trials of watermelon intake and L-citrulline supplements, blood-pressure readings came down modestly, but that work was about the flesh and supplements. Pickled rind fell outside the tested materials. The flesh is rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, and lycopene. Lycopene is the red carotenoid pigment that also colors tomatoes; it acts as an antioxidant and is studied for supporting heart health. Pla haeng taeng mo tops chilled watermelon cubes with a sweet-salty mix of pounded dried fish and crispy fried shallots. Kaeng som pluak taeng mo simmers peeled watermelon rind in a sour tamarind curry, served hot over steamed jasmine rice. The seeds roast up into a snack, and the rind is the one you just met in that curry. Rest each developing melon on a tile or straw pad so it doesn't rot on wet ground. Lycopene is fat-soluble, so a little oil helps you absorb it.

Pla Haeng Taengmo — ปลาแห้งแตงโม (pla-haeng-taeng-mo)
Kaeng Som Pluak Taengmo — แกงส้มเปลือกแตงโม (gaeng-som-pluak-taeng-mo)

Food and nutrients

Rich in: vitamin C, vitamin A, lycopene

Research context

Watermelon / L-citrulline trials lowered blood-pressure readings — meta-analysis, 2025

Sources

Source: Luo P et al. (2025). Does L-citrulline supplementation and watermelon intake reduce blood pressure in middle-aged and older adults? Systematic review/meta-analysis of RCTs. Clin Nutr ESPEN 69:653-664. DOI:10.1016/j.clnesp.2025.07.1130 (PMID 40789388)

Narration transcript

Opening

That thick rind you scrape off and toss in the bin? In Thai kitchens it never goes to waste — cooks pickle it and simmer it into a sour tamarind curry. Watermelon — แตงโม, taeng-mo. The sweet red flesh is the part most of us know, but the crisp pale rind and even the seeds are all edible. Peel the rind, cut the flesh cold, and roast the seeds for a snack.

Pla Haeng Taengmo (ปลาแห้งแตงโม)

In pla haeng taeng mo, chilled watermelon cubes get topped with a sweet-salty mix of pounded dried fish and crispy fried shallots.

Kaeng Som Pluak Taengmo (แกงส้มเปลือกแตงโม)

In gaeng som pluak taeng mo, a sour tamarind curry simmers peeled watermelon rind, served hot over steamed jasmine rice.

Nutrition summary

Watermelon's mostly water, so the numbers stay modest — a little vitamin C leads, with traces of copper and vitamin A.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is used to build collagen and helps protect cells from oxidative stress.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A contributes to normal vision and helps maintain healthy skin and surface tissues.

Lycopene

Lycopene is the red carotenoid pigment in plants like tomatoes, acting as an antioxidant and studied for supporting heart health.

Closing

So next time, save that rind for a curry and roast the seeds while you're at it. If you grow your own, rest each swelling melon on a tile or a pad of straw so it doesn't rot on damp ground. And since the red lycopene is fat-soluble, a touch of oil helps you absorb it. Follow Longevity Biome, and LIKE this video for regular updates.

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