Love that Lychee!

This delicious little fruit truly conceals the taste of summer sunshine and can adapt itself to a surprising range of culinary delights

BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA

Every time lychees are in season, I tell a story that my family are probably tired of hearing. It goes back to my school days. A close friend watched as I peeled and ate with relish my after-lunch treat - 3 beautifully red lychees. I had offered to share, but she had declined. After I finished she told me she didn’t like lychees.

“They’re too much work,” she said. “Too much work to get to a teeny bit of fruit inside - couldn’t be bothered”.

I couldn’t believe my ears. The “work” of peeling the fruit - and having its sweet juices cause icky-sticky fingers - had never troubled me, a lychee-lover from way back!

I dedicate this column to my Year 6 friend, wherever she is. I hope she has discovered the joy of the fruit, even if only of the canned or frozen variety, which cut the “work” out of it all.

I would advise her though, just as someone advised me recently, that it’s better to use the frozen variety rather than the canned: they retain the flavour and the fragrance of the fresh fruit much better (you’ll find them at Asian grocery stores).

Lychees are low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, high in Vitamin C and minerals like potassium and copper, and rich in dietary fibre. They are a very good source of B-complex vitamins such as thiamin, niacin and folates. All in all, they are an ideal ingredient in weight-loss diets.

Lychees are in our grocers’ shelves at the moment and I hope you have been enjoying them as much as I have. Of course the best way to eat them is straight after peeling, but I have discovered, there is so much more you could do with them.

Apparently you can make them into a cold soup; cook them with light white meat like pork or chicken or even fish; put them in a salad; put them in muffins or cakes; use them in cocktails, or, my current favourite, stuff a bunch of them!

You can also easily buy a variety of lychee products these days, such as lychee honey, lychee syrup, dried lychee, lychee vinegar, and lychee jams and jellies (which you can also use to glaze your barbecue meats).

Tropical Fruit Salad

2 kiwis, peeled and diced

2-3 slices tinned pineapple, diced

1 mango, pitted and diced

½ punnet strawberries, hulled and halved

1 cup lychees, peeled and pitted

2 tbsp white sugar

1 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp lychee jam

Put fruit in a large bowl and toss. Add white sugar, brown sugar and lychee jam. Mix thoroughly. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.

Lychee Salsa

2 cups lychees, peeled, pitted and diced

¼ red capsicum, diced

¼ Spanish onion, finely diced

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice

3 tsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

Fresh coriander leaves

Combine all the ingredients together. Cover with cling film and refrigerate before serving.

Stuffed Lychees

3 cups lychees

250 gms softened cream cheese

6 tbsp finely chopped crystalized ginger

6 tbsp finely chopped macadamia nuts

2 tbsp port or brandy

Peel and remove seeds from lychees. Mix all other ingredients and fill lychees with cheese mixture.

Arrange lychees on platter and decorate with torn basil or mint leaves. Great as a summer time appetizer.

Lychee Lassi

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup chopped lychees or ½ cup lychee juice

Ice cubes

Blend until smooth and serve in tall glasses.

Lychee Martini

15 ml lychee syrup

45 ml good quality vodka

15 ml lychee juice

5 ml lemon juice

A few numbers lychees (peeled and pitted) and mint leaves, for garnish

Put ingredients into cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into martini glass. Decorate with skewer of lychees and mint leaves.

(Dress the rim of the glass with crystallized ginger).

Lychee Mint Champagne

450 gms (roughly 3 cups) lychees, peeled and pitted

1 bottle chilled champagne or sparkling white wine

Fresh mint leaves for garnish

Puree the lychees and mint leaves in a food processor. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Half fill a glass with the mixture and top with champagne. Decorate with mint leaves.

Lychee Crab Salad

200 gms crab meat, shredded

¾ cup lychees, peeled and pitted

1 stick celery, finely chopped Lettuce leaves of choice

For salad dressing:

½ cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp cream

2 tbsp dry sherry (or apple juice)

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 tsp crushed black pepper

Salt to taste

Toss crab meat, lychees and celery together in a bowl.

Blend all dressing ingredients together until thoroughly mixed.

Lay out lettuce leaves on platter and arrange Lychee Crab Salad on it. Drizzle dressing over.