Subak Hwachae ​(Korean Watermelon Punch)

This Korean-inspired watermelon punch is a fun and refreshing indulgence on a hot summer's day. Back when I was a university student, at my part-time summer job as a hotel front desk clerk, my Korean boss used to sometimes bring me a bowl of chopped watermelon in lemon-lime soda. It was a treat I enjoyed, but one I also thought to be quite odd. It wasn't until years later, when I lived in Korea, that I discovered it was a common summer treat. Given that this is a fruit-based dish, the net carbs may be a tad high for some folks. However, with a bit of planning, or a less restrictive carb limit, this punch is a great option for those craving some sweetness and sparkle amid the oppressive heat of summer. And if trying to cool yourself down isn't reason enough to enjoy this punch, a single serving contains 25% of your daily vitamin C intake!
Yield: 4 servings of roughly ¾ cup (180g) each or 3 servings of roughly 1 cup (240g) each, totaling 3 cups (720g) 
Macros (per 1 of 4 servings): 20 calories | 0.5g protein | 0g fat | 3.5g net carbs
Macros (per 1 of 3 servings): 25 calories | 0.5g protein | 0g fat | 5g net carbs
Prep: 15 minutes
Storage: best enjoyed as soon as prepared
Ingredients:
  • 4 ounces (113g) fresh watermelon, chopped (about 9 balls of melon or ¾ cup chopped)
  • 4 ounces (113g) fresh strawberries​, chopped (about 9 medium berries or ¾ cup chopped)
  • a 12-ounce (355ml) can diet/zero-sugar lemon-lime soda, cold (e.g. Sprite or 7-Up) or a 12-ounce (355ml) can soda water (cold), liquid stevia or monk fruit to taste, and a splash of lemon or lime juice ✎
  • 1 cup (150g) ice cubes​ (optional/as preferred)
Directions:
​1. Prepare the melon and berries as per the ingredient list.
3. Put the chopped fruit and ice cubes in a punch bowl, or equally divide between 4 small bowls or glasses. If dividing, this will be an ounce (28g) of each fruit per vessel or 2 ounces (56g) total fruit per vessel if the fruits are mixes together.
2. Slowly pour the soda into the bowl(s). If dividing, this will be 3 ounces (89ml) of soda per vessel. If using soda water etc., gently mix in the sweetener and lemon/lime juice.
​4. Enjoy icy cold soon after preparing. Most easily enjoyed with a spoon. 
Other Fruit Combinations (with similar net carbs, roughly 14.5g net carbs in total): 
  • 4 ounces (113g) of strawberries or raspberries with 4 ounces (113g) of watermelon or cantaloupe or peach or Asian pear or physalis (golden berries)
  • 4 ounces (113g) of blackberries or starfruit (carambola) with 4 ounces (113g) of honeydew melon or nectarine
Notes:​
  • Traditionally, this punch is made with lemon-lime soda. However, I find it much too sweet for my taste and that the lemon-lime soda and syrupy sweetness overpowers the fresh fruit flavor. Personally, I prefer to make it with the soda water option I've given (which is not in the least bit traditional as far as I'm aware). Note that lemon/lime juice has about 1g net carbs per tablespoon, which is not included in the macros calculation given above. Traditionally, this punch may also include fruit juice and milk (usually condensed). Originally, I made this recipe with canned full-fat coconut milk. In the end, I decided that neither coconut milk nor another plant-based milk were as refreshing to me as a milk-free version. If you'd like to add half a can (i.e. 200ml) of coconut milk, which was the amount in my original recipe, go ahead. The macros per serving will be 110 calories | 1.5g protein | 9.5g fat | 4.5 net carbs. Adding another plant milk likely won't have much impact on the macros, but that will depend on which product you choose to use.​ Some plant-based milks have 0g net carbs while others have quite a lot.
  • Watermelon seeds are edible and nutritious. Feel free to include them in the punch.
  • Macros for this recipes are calculated with American national nutritional data (i.e. NCCDB & USDA entries in Cronometer) for all ingredients apart from lemon-lime soda (7-Up Zero) and coconut milk (Aroy-D) in the applicable variation note above.
  • Macro numbers are rounded. Numbers equal to or greater than 10g are rounded to the nearest whole number (e.g. 10g, 11g, 12g, etc.) and numbers below 10g are rounded to the nearest 0.5g (0.5g, 1g, 1.5g ... 9g, 9.5g). Any numbers below 0.5g are given as is (e.g. 0.1g, 0.2g, etc.). Calories are rounded to the nearest multiple of 5.