Luscious Lychee (Litchi chinensis)
The world's most romantic fruit, lychee, has been enjoyed in the Orient for over
2,000 years. In fact, the first fruit culture book, written in 1056, was about
lychee. Want to win your lady's heart? You might try giving her fresh lychees
like T'ang Emperor Hsuan Tsung (A.D. 712-756). He organized a "pony express" to
carry fresh lychees from tropical south China to the northern court for Lady
Yang Kuei Fei.
Lychee's fragrant, sweet, juicy flavor is memorable. Fresh lychees are oval,
about an inch in size, with a brittle, red peel. Do not bite through the
inedible, reddish shell. It peels easily revealing the fruit's pearly white,
translucent flesh which surrounds a brown, inedible seed. Lychees grow in
clusters on thirty to fifty foot trees which are sensitive to drought, frost,
and wind.
Don't confuse "lychee nut" with fresh lychee. Lychee nuts are dried lychee and
resemble a raisin. The dried fruit has a smoky taste and is crunchy. Canned
lychees, however, do resemble fresh lychee and can be used successfully in
recipes.
Lychee Tips
Red fruit is fresh. Select the heaviest and fullest fruit with stems. Lychee
keeps 2 weeks when refrigerated and about 6 months frozen. Freeze lychee
unpeeled, with a small part of the stem intact for a seal. Store in freezer bags
or freezer containers. Occasionally, the lychee shell cracks during freezing,
but the fruit's flavor and texture remain good. Defrost before peeling.
Use
The popular use for lychee, fresh or canned, in Honolulu is as an appetizer. We
stuff lychees with low-fat cream cheese and top with crushed nuts. Lychee is
exquisite in a fresh fruit salad with pineapple, papaya, kiwi, and banana. Even
canned lychee are good in a fresh fruit salad. Lychee on ice cream with
chocolate sauce is absolutely decadent. A lychee stuffed with a fresh or frozen
raspberry turns a glass of sparkling wine or champagne into a festive drink.
Lychees are truly a "class act".
Hail the Hairy Lychee, A Rambutan
This luscious fruit is slightly larger than a lychee, about thesize of an
apricot, and has sweet, translucent flesh. Rambutanhas soft spines which can be
green, red, pink, or yellow. Selectbrightly colored fruit with fleshy spines
because the rambutandarkens with age. Peel rambutan and use the fruit in salad,
fordessert toppings, and as a sauce for chicken and seafood dishes.
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