How to Eat Lychee

How to clean and eat lychee

Lychee is mostly eaten raw. Only in this way can you get the maximum benefit from it for the body. In rare cases, this product is added to hot dishes or canned.

Step 1. Choose Lychee

Lychee is a seasonal product that appears on Russian shelves in mid-December and disappears in mid-February.

The main criterion for choosing berries is the peel. It should be whole, smooth, without dents and large tubercles. The color of the lychee can be yellow, orange or red – depending on the variety. The brown shell most likely indicates the staleness of the berry.

The fruit should feel firm to the touch, but not too hard. If, when pressed, the fruit flattens and releases juice, this is a bad sign. He probably started to deteriorate. The smell of a ripe lychee should resemble a blooming rose.

Step 2. Peel off the shell

Lychee must be cleaned before use. This can be done by analogy with an avocado: make an incision along the entire length of the fruit, and then carefully remove the peel. If the shell is difficult to separate from the pulp, you can soak the lychee in water for a short time.

The pulp of the fruit should be white and translucent. A yellowish or completely transparent hue means that the lychee has begun to rot.

Step 3. Remove the bone

In the center of the lychee is a bone. To pull it out, you need to carefully divide the pulp of the fruit in half. An important fact: lychee bones are poisonous and dangerous to people and animals, so you can’t eat them raw.

Step 4: Keep Lychees Fresh

Lychees spoil very quickly at room temperature. In such conditions, it will last no more than a day. Therefore, fruits must be stored at a temperature of 5 degrees. The ideal way is to put the berries in a paper bag and refrigerate. Also, lychee lends itself perfectly to freezing. To do this, the fruits must first be cleaned.

Simple and delicious recipes with lychee

Most often, lychee is used to make drinks, salads and desserts. Also, the fruit is good for decorating dishes.

Salad with shrimp and lychee

A light salad recipe for those who are tired of ordinary dishes.

Clean the shrimp and fry them. Cucumber cut into slices. Purify lychee and pomegranate. Put everything on lettuce leaves, add cilantro and sesame seeds. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and your favorite spices.

Lychee lemonade

Lychee can be used to make a refreshing drink. This recipe is perfect for summer gatherings with friends. If desired, lemon juice can be replaced with orange or lime juice.

Peel the litchi from the shell and remove the bones. Transfer the pulp to a blender bowl and grind until smooth. Add water, sugar and lemon juice. Mix well and then strain through a fine sieve. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving and top with ice cubes.

Tart with exotic fruits

Lychee pairs well with other tropical fruits. They can decorate any, even the simplest, dessert.

For the base, in a deep bowl, mix 150 g of softened butter, egg yolks, sour cream, flour and 50 g of powdered sugar. Remove the dough in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, then put it in a greased form, pierce with a fork and put in the oven for 30 minutes. For the filling, mix curd cheese, 30 g butter, cream and 30 g powdered sugar. Cool the prepared base to room temperature and pour over the cream. Smooth the surface and garnish with pineapple, mango and lychee slices. Place in refrigerator for 3 hours.