LYCHEES
According to their legions of fans, lychees with their delicate fragrance and sweet clean flavour are ‘most delightful to eat’. Rewind about 1000 years back to 1094, and we read that Chinese poet Su Shih certainly found solace tucking into ‘300 a day’ when exiled from court. A native of southern China, the lychee is cultivated worldwide, making it easy for us to pass on the syrupy tinned ones nowadays and relish them fresh. As for cooking, keep it simple. Peel, deseed, and combine with leaves or with tropical fruits in a salad. Or add them to stir-fries at the last minute, just heating them through.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Don’t be put off by the dimpled leathery exterior – underneath is fleshy, translucent and juicy fruit with a floral fragrance. Choose pinkish-red, heavy, uncracked fruit with a small piece of the stem attached; the redder the skin, the fresher the lychee. If you get the chance, taste before you buy, as they don’t continue to ripen once they have been picked. When canned, lychees lose their distinctive perfume and their taste is diminished. Canned lychees are very sweet and better suited to desserts.
HOW TO STORE THEM
Store unpeeled fruit in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. Lychees can also be frozen for up to 6 months.
WHAT’S IN THEM?
Ten fresh lychees (100 g/3½ oz) have 296 kilojoules (71 calories), 1 g protein, no fat, 16 g carbs (all sugars), 1.5 g fibre, 150 mg potassium, and a medium GI (57) and low GL (9).
WHAT ELSE?
Dried lychees, or ‘lychee nuts’ as they are sometimes labelled, are also available and make a tasty snack.
HERO RECIPES
Thai red duck curry with lychees (here)
Salmon, lychee and sugar snap pea salad (here)