Recipes for litchi Citrus fruits and refreshing drinks that may refresh our bodies are what summer is all about. The lychee, also known as litchi, is a subtropical fruit that originated in South China. Because it is so significant to their culture, they refer to it as the “king of fruits.” Peeling off the exterior reveals a white, translucent, glossy fruit with an oval to rounded form that is crimson. Its seed is encased in a jelly-like flesh with a juicy, sweet, and zesty flavor that tastes like a cross between strawberry and watermelon.
What is Lychee Fruit?
The lychee fruit is popular because it has more flesh than skin and is most frequently consumed by itself. The fruit, which is also known as a lychee nut, has three layers: a reddish husk, white flesh, and brown seed. Even though the outside appears rough and leathery, it is surprisingly simple to remove with just your fingertips. This will expose a white interior with a firm firmness and glossy luster resembling a grape.
Here are Some of the Best Lychee Recipes
Lychee Salad Prawns
Toss prawns with lychees, sliced shallots, and sliced spring onions after poaching them, preferably in coconut water to make it even tastier. Add toasted ground peanuts or toasted desiccated coconut on top and garnish with Vietnamese nuoc Cham sauce. Delicious! When it’s too hot to cook much in the summer, this is the ideal side dish to create!
Lychee Martini
I’ve got your new favorite cocktail, martini lovers! There are only three components, and it is shaken rather than stirred. You’ll mix vermouth, vodka, and lychee juice to create this fruity cocktail. Since no refined sugar was used, it is sweet and stiff. Since lychees are summer fruit, you can substitute canned lychee syrup if you can’t find any fresh lychees. You will need to modify the recipe to account for the variation in sweetness.
Empress Gin and Lychee Gimlet
This gimlet is definitely suitable for an empress! It includes Empress Gin, a small-batch gin with British Columbian roots. Citrus, rose, and juniper undertones add to the sophisticated nature of this delicate beverage.
Even though lychee juice is sweet, you need still to add some simple syrup. You’ll also need some lime, in classic gimlet form. Serve this either straight up or on the rocks. For a traditional touch, I like to pour mine into a coupe glass. Speaking of which, the garnish for this beverage calls for a toothpick of fresh lychee fruit and edible pansies.
Lychee Ice Cream
This recipe will enable you to take advantage of the current trend for fruity ice creams. A mouthwateringly creamy ice cream with a snappy flavor is created by precisely balancing the amounts of lychee pulp, cream, milk powder, and other ingredients. Chunks of chopped lychee tease your taste receptors with each bite. On a steamy summer day, indulge in the Lychee Ice Cream and lose yourself in its brilliant simplicity.
Frozen Lychee and Mint Cocktails
Are frozen cocktails with fruit your thing? Well, come on up; this one is for you. Similar to a boozy slushie but without the excessively sugary ingredients. It asks for a concoction of vodka, lime, mint, and canned lychee. It has a bright green hue that is very cooling thanks to the mint. This is a fantastic method to stay cool on a hot summer day. Oh, and since it’s a blended recipe, you can simply double the amount to enjoy by yourself or to share with others.
Lychee Salsa
This wonderful salsa can be enjoyed as a delightful beginning with lavash. The Lychee Salsa is an intriguing combination of lychee, apples, and spring onions that has been enlivened with apple cider, herbs, and chilies. Because the fruits will only be mashed with a potato masher rather than being cooked, chop them very coarsely. When making this salsa, put it in the refrigerator right away.
Watermelon and Lychee Slushie
One must consume significantly more water during the hot summer months, and watermelon is one fruit that meets this need. This is slush, which is made of watermelon and lychee.
Coconut Lychee Colada
This drink was modeled after one of the specialty drinks we had during our wedding. The wedding cocktail contained coconut water and a homemade lychee lemonade, however, it was otherwise very, very different. Although not at all similar—as said—it was the source of today’s coconut-lychee combo! Making this cocktail couldn’t be simpler! Simply drain the lychees from the can and add them to the blender along with Bacardi rum, full-fat coconut milk, and ice cubes.
Lychee Rose Mimosa
Lychee rose mimosas are a great way to toast someone. Sparkling rose wine, lychee syrup, and rosewater are used to create this festive mimosa champagne cocktail. Using sweet lychee syrup and a hint of rosewater, this mimosa creates a sophisticated beverage fit for toasting! Toast someone special with a Lychee Rose Mimosa whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter, or anything else at all! It’s the finest way to make a regular day feel exceptional.
Where to Buy Lychee?
If you are fortunate enough to reside in a region where lychee is grown, you can buy—or pick!—the fruit in the summer when it is harvested in June and July. Finding fresh lychee fruit can be difficult. The season might go from May to September, depending on where the lychee is grown. Otherwise, go to an Asian market near you or buy canned or vacuum-sealed lychee online. Lychees that have been dried and have a crispy texture may also be found.
Choose lychees with brilliant red skin that are larger than an inch in diameter when purchasing fresh lychees (or picking them from the tree). With your thumb, gently massage the skin to feel for ripeness; it should feel somewhat springy.
Lychees that are ripe should have brilliant colors and be devoid of imperfections and soft places. Lychee fruit must be sold as fresh as possible since once harvested, it stops ripening. The lychee has already gone bad if any of the fruit is fractured, dripping liquid, or smells sour.
How to Use Lychee?
Remove the husk and the stone from the lychee to prepare it. The entire white ball of flesh can be put in your mouth and spit out if you are merely eating the lychees out of hand. The exterior, rough “alligator skin” can be broken open most effectively with your fingernail. When the fruit is exposed, gently peel back the skin using an orange-peeling technique. A ripe lychee’s skin should be simple to puncture and almost effortless to remove.
Peel the lychee, then carefully score it in half to reveal the stone or seed if you’re prepping it for a recipe. Then, split the fruit in half; the seed should stick to one side, much like an avocado. To remove the seed from the stone, pinch the opposite side with your finger and thumb and lightly dig underneath. A ripe lychee should easily release its seed, although if the fruit tears somewhat in the process, it’s okay.
What does Lychee Taste Like?
There are several ways to describe the flavor of lychee fruit. Given the fruit’s sweet, potent scent, some compare its flavor to a cross between a strawberry and a watermelon, while others sense a combination of citrus and rose water or another floral component.
The lychee fruit has a sweet, fragrant taste to it. While some think it tastes more like a pear or watermelon, others report it tastes more like a grape with a trace of rose. Because of its sweet-tart flavor, lychee goes well with other tropical flavors.
The sweet, somewhat tangy, and flowery lychee is fragrant. Upon biting, you’ll experience a delicious flavor explosion with a strawberry or pear-like flavor with a tinge of citrus. Others liken the fragrant flavor to roses. Some claim that it tastes more like a watermelon or a pear. The sweetness and tartness are in harmony. Lychees are a great addition to most beverages and have a strong flavor that, when utilized correctly, may enhance a dish. A lychee is a good option if you’re looking for a new fruit to try.
Storage
Lychee ages by fermenting, therefore it’s crucial to preserve it correctly. Fruit can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week after being wrapped in a paper towel and put in a perforated plastic zip-top bag. However, in order to savor their distinctive flavor at its peak freshness, it is best to utilize them soon.
Lychee can be frozen for extended storage; just store it in a zip-top bag, remove any extra air, and put it in the freezer. The fruit will still taste good even though the peel may somewhat deteriorate. In fact, they taste like lychee sorbet when eaten directly from the freezer.
What is the Best Way to Eat Lychee?
Fresh lychees are the best to eat. Peel using your fingers, then eat or drink the seed’s flesh. They provide a crisp finish to a meal. Lychees can be used in sweet-and-sour meals and salads, or they can be pitted and added to fruit salads. Markets in Asia are typically where you can find fresh lychee. The fruit’s seed, an inedible stone, is covered by soft, white flesh with a sweet strawberry-watermelon flavor underneath the tough, rough shell.
Lychee is a delicious addition to fruit salads, sauces, desserts, and beverages as well as being eaten fresh on its own. Nevertheless, everything in excess might be harmful to your health. Using moderation is crucial. If your diet and fitness routine is sound, eating 10 to 12 litchis a day shouldn’t be harmful to your body. Weight loss: Litchis’ primary ability to promote weight loss is a result of the fiber and roughage they contain.
Conclusion
Litchi has a great flavor and several health benefits that will persuade you to include it in your diet. Lychee is rich in antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin B complex, fiber that boosts the body’s metabolism, and potassium that the body needs to regulate sodium levels.
It helps us manage the body’s fluid or electrolyte levels and is the perfect food to eat in the heat. It is a fruit that is healthy to consume in the summer, but it can also be used to prepare a wide range of summertime dishes. Let’s have a look at some of the interesting cocktails, mocktails, salads, and sorbets that you can make with litchi at home.
