Vasanti Shah from Pune utilises the watermelon rind to make sabzi the next day. We’re told it’s a Kutchi-Gujarati and a Rajasthani speciality, but several adapted versions pop up on plates in homes that reduce food waste as an ingrained habit

The trick to making this dish lies in peeling the watermelon carefully to get to the white pith of the rind, not the green. This sabzi is a summer staple in Jain-dominated areas of Mumbai

Equal parts of sweet and sour, just like most Gujarati cuisine, you add mustard seeds to hot oil and let it crackle. Follow this quickly with a pinch of asafoetida, one-half dry red chilli, jaggery and kokam according to taste

Then add the carefully-peeled white part of the watermelon rind. Add around a cup-and-a-half of water, followed by salt and red chilli powder as per taste. Season with fresh coriander and jeera powder, and cook further for five to seven minutes or until the peel softens

According to Shah, the veggie goes best with wheat roti. A glass of cold buttermilk completes the meal. Both watermelon and buttermilk have a cooling effect on the body on hot summer days