Xigua Niu Nai (Taiwanese Watermelon Milk Juice) and Xigua Zhi (Watermelon Juice)

Watermelon Milk Juice (Xigua Niu Nai)

My favorite summer beverages are fresh Watermelon Milk (Xigua Niu Nai) and fresh Watermelon Juice (Xigua Zhi).  We don’t really live near any Boba tea shops… otherwise I could get Watermelon drink fix pretty easily… so I usually have to make my own during the summer when watermelon is in season.

Last year when we were in Taiwan, I was so excited when we stopped at the 7-11 convenience store (on the corner, downstairs from my father-in-law’s flat).  They had cartons of my favorite Watermelon Milk!!!!  You just can’t find that here in California… if they sold cartons of Watermelon Milk here I would drink it everyday!  They also had cartons of Papaya Milk (which you can make using the same technique below).

For the best results, buy watermelon at the peak of the season when it is sweet and ripe.  To make things easier, I like to buy seedless watermelon.  You can use a regular watermelon with seeds – but will want to remove the seeds after cutting the fruit into chunks (to avoid getting yucky seeds in your juice).  If for some reason, you find that your watermelon is not sweet – you can add a little bit of sugar to make it taste better.

You will need about 3 lb. of seedless chunks for one batch (which is the “meat” from a quarter of a large 12-13 pound watermelon).  You can make 4 batches with an entire 12-13 pound watermelon… but it’s better to leave the watermelon uncut in quarters if you aren’t going to drink the juice within 2 days.  If you want to make a large pitcher, then go ahead and make two batches – that should fit in a regular 2 Qt. (~2 L.) standard kitchen pitcher.

Also, it is best to strain the pulp out of your final juice or milk if you can.  Some people like the pulp, but I find it to be kind of foamy tasting… so I prefer to strain it out.  If you prefer the pulp, then don’t strain – just omit the final filtering step.  You can also add a little bit of crushed ice to the water if you are making Watermelon Juice to serve right away – it will help make your juice nice and cold.

Watermelon Milk from the corner 7-11 convenience store in Taiwan

Watermelon Milk Juice (Xigua Niu Nai):

• 1/4 of a 12-13 pound seedless watermelon (about 3 lb. seedless watermelon chunks)
• 2 c. milk
• 1-2 T. sugar (optional)

Watermelon Juice (Xigua Zhi):

• 1/4 of a 12-13 pound seedless watermelon (about 3 lb. seedless watermelon chunks)
• 2 c. filtered water
• 1-2 T. sugar (optional)

1.  It is best to use a seedless watermelon for this drink, as you won’t have to waste the time picking out the black seeds.  Cut your watermelon in half, then cut the halves into quarters.

2.  Using a sharp knife, cut the rind off a watermelon quarter, and cut the fruit into large chunks.  For one batch, you should have about 3 lb. of watermelon chunks.

3.  Put the watermelon chunks and the milk (or water if you are making Watermelon Juice instead of Watermelon Milk) into the blender.  If your watermelon is very sweet, omit the sugar.  If your watermelon is not sweet enough, you can add the sugar.

4.  Blend the watermelon mixture for 15-30 seconds until liquefied.  (The photo below shows the watermelon and milk blending – you will have a similar pink-ish color to your final milk juice.)

5.  Strain the mixture through a large sieve.  (This is to strain out the excess bubbles and foam.  If you like the foam and watermelon pulp, you don’t have to strain.)  (This photo below shows Watermelon Juice straining – made with water instead of milk – and you can see that the color is more red, instead of the pinkish color of the Watermelon Milk).

6.  Store your juice in the refrigerator and serve chilled over ice.  (In the photo below, the glass in the front has strained Watermelon Milk, the glass to the back left has un-strained Watermelon Milk.  I think it tastes better (and looks better) strained – the foam isn’t that great tasting – but you can serve it either way depending on your preference.)  Store in a covered pitcher in the refrigerator for up to two days.  One batch should make about 4-5 servings.