Ingredients

Lychee

Other Names: Lychee nut.

General Description: The lychee (Litchi chinensis) is a small round fruit with a hard bumpy shell enclosing translucent flesh and a hard brown seed. Lychees have been cultivated in southern China for more than 2,000 years. During the Ming dynasty, clubs of lychee devotees met in temples and gardens to consume hundreds of lychees at a time.

The round fruit is covered by a tough, knobby shell that is deep red when picked ripe but turns rosy brown within a few days. Inside is delicate, clear or white fruit pulp surrounding a single, large, shiny mahogany brown seed that is inedible. The soft, jellylike flesh slips from the shell like a hard-cooked egg. The flavor is like
honeyed grapes with a touch of cherry, and their perfumed fragrance is reminiscent of musk and roses.

Season: Lychees are available during the warmest months and can be found from June to September.

Purchase: Select heavy lychees with deep-rose-colored, thin skin.

Avoid: Pass up dried-out lychees.

Storage: Store lychees in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Preparation:

Slice open the shell with a knife or gently squeeze until the skin pops open.
Slip out the inner fruit.
Split the fruit open on the seam and remove and discard the hard seed.

Serving Suggestions: Add lychee halves to pork, chicken, or duck dishes in the last few minutes of cooking. Blend together lychee halves, chopped pineapple, vanilla ice cream, and ice to make a tropical milk shake. Toss fresh crabmeat and lychee wedges with mayonnaise, a little soy sauce, sliced green onions, and lime juice to make a lychee crab salad.

Flavor Affinities: Cashews, coconut, crab, duck, ginger, lemon, lime, mango, orange, pineapple, pork, scallops, water chestnuts.

from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com