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Lychees are one of the fruits of to be enjoyed come the colder months, adding a touch of the exotic to the standard fruit bowl and knowing how to eat lychee adds an extra special touch to the season.
Once originating in China the delicately scented plum sized fruit is now grown around the world making it an accessible tropical fruit prized for its juicy flesh come the winter.
Not simply the domain of dessert in Chinese restaurants here's how to eat lychee at home.
Image: Malcolm Manners/Flickr
How to Choose Lychees?
Lychees are always picked ripe and as such are very delicate. When you buy them they should be fairly hard and have a bark intact. The skin should be pink, sometimes tinged with yellow.
How to Store Lychees:
Lychees are extremely perishable so make sure you store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator where they should keep anywhere up to a couple of weeks. If you leave them out, they will begin to turn after a couple of days.
How to Prepare Lychees:
Use your hands or a knife to peel away the hard exterior of they lychee. Start by cutting the skin off the top of the lychee then the rest of the skin should come off easily and can be discarded.
Dig out the hard seed from the centre of the lychee, and discard it.
It is all right if the fruit tears - you can always roll the fruit back into its original shape ready for serving and eating or using in any number of recipes.
How to Eat Lychees:
Lychees can be thrown into salads, cocktails and desserts or even simply served on a cheese platter.
Here are a few of our favourite dessert recipes:
For an elegant yet simple afternoon tea with a difference try our recipe for lychee and rose cupcakes.
If you want to go all out on an exotic tea time treat try this recipe for: ZHEJIANG GREEN TEA AND LYCHEE MOUSSE, WHITE CHOCOLATE, MATCHA FINANCIER
You can even try a pavlova with pomegranate and lychees!
