Lici, a fruit that previously could only be found in the tropics is now available almost all over the world. Most canned lychee fruit can be enjoyed straight from the packaging. However, fresh lychee tastes much fresher, and it only takes a few seconds to prepare!
Step
Part 1 of 2: Enjoying Fresh Lici Fruit
Step 1. Choose ripe lychee fruit
Look for fruit that is still firm, feels a little soft when pressed, but doesn't crack or leak. Fairly smooth skin with a few small bumps instead of big bumps is also a good sign. Although the taste is not too sweet, firm, unripe fruit can also be eaten. On the other hand, fruit that is soggy and soft may be overripe, and fermented (still edible even if it tastes sharp and distinct), or rotten (tastes bad). Fruit with wet or crushed skin is almost always rotten.
Different varieties of lychee have different skin colors, but most are red, orange, or yellowish when ripe. Brown fruit is usually rotten
Step 2. Peel off the tip of the lychee fruit
Grasp the protrusion of the stem of the lychee and peel off the skin that is pink or yellowish-brown at one end. The white flesh of the fruit is almost clear inside which is edible. You may need to peel the skin off the fruit in a bowl to collect the juices.
- If you leave the lychee outside for a while, the skin may harden, making it harder to peel. Use your fingernail, teeth or a knife to peel it off. Wetting the fruit will also make it easier to peel.
- Flesh that is completely clear, mottled, or yellowish-brown in color may indicate fermented or even rotten lychee.
Step 3. Press and tear off the skin
Ripe lychee skin feels smooth and can be easily peeled from the flesh. You can gently press the lychee fruit to remove the flesh inside. If this doesn't work, simply tear some of the skin off the lychee with your finger.
The skin of the lychee fruit is not edible. Throw it away or make it into compost
Step 4. Remove the seeds
Lychee seeds are in the middle of the flesh. Gently peel the flesh of the fruit with your fingers, pry out the brown seeds from the inside and discard. The seeds of the lychee fruit are slightly poisonous.
Step 5. Enjoy the lychee fruit
Fresh lychee flesh is sweet, crunchy, and soft, with a distinctive aroma that cannot be found in canned products. Enjoy raw lychees, or continue reading for other uses.
There is a thin brown membrane in the flesh of the lychee fruit, on the seeds. You can eat this membrane with the flesh of the lychee fruit. The texture of the lychee will be slightly crunchy, but the taste will not change. Removing this membrane will make a lot of lychee juice wasted
Step 6. Save the rest of the fruit
Place the lychee wrapped in a dry tissue in a perforated plastic bag or open container, then store in the refrigerator. Although the skin will turn brown and hard, lychee can still be enjoyed for up to a week if stored like this. Discard the fruit if it turns gray.
If you can't finish the whole lychee within 1 week, freeze the rest before peeling in a plastic bag clip. Run warm water over frozen lychee fruit for 15 seconds, then peel and enjoy! Half frozen lychee fruit has a texture similar to sorbet
Part 2 of 2: Using Lychee Fruit in Recipes
Step 1. Add to fruit salad
This option is very suitable to be enjoyed in the dry season. Add the lychee fruit last as it loses its juice quickly once it is peeled.
Step 2. Make the stuffed lychee fruit
Carefully peel the lychee fruit, and remove the seeds without tearing the flesh. Mix nuts, honey, and/or ginger with a soft cheese such as cream cheese or chenna cheese. Gently open the lychee fruit with your thumb, and add the filling mixture with a small spoon or chopsticks.
You can even fill the lychee fruit with savory foods, such as stir-fried chicken. Make sure to smooth all the stuffing ingredients, and bake the lychees for 2-3 minutes after filling
Step 3. Make a drink garnish
Place the seeded lychee "satai" on top of a margarita or other soft drink. Or try to make other drink recipes like martini with lychee or mad eye martini
Step 4. Chop as ingredients for salsa sauce
The soft and sweet flesh of the lychee will give a different taste in a spicy or sour salsa sauce. Try making a simple salsa of avocado, lychee, and red onions, topped with your favorite dip.
Step 5. Cook the lychee in a spicy dish
To make dishes such as chicken lychees or other spicy and savory dishes, place the lychees in the stir fry or grill pan a few minutes before the dish is cooked. Lici fruit goes well with cinnamon, ginger, or honey.
Tips
- The lychees sold at convenience stores are often old or poorly maintained. Ask for the next lychee delivery date or look for a lychee farmer who sells direct.
- If the inside of the fruit doesn't match the description in this article, the fruit you have may be different, such as rambutan, longan, quenette, or outward appearance.
- Some of the fruits are not completely pollinated, so the seeds are thin. You're lucky if you find one, because the meat is thicker!
- Lychee fruit is also available in dried or canned form.
Warning
- The lychee fruit is too old and not good to eat if the inside is yellow.
- Lychee seeds are slightly toxic to animals and humans. Don't eat it.
