Fresh Litchi, Lychee or Lichee!

[eatingwitheddie]

One of my favorite fruits, delicious and exotic, fresh litchi's US availability has increased in recent years. Quality can range from terrific to just fair, though I manage to find excellent ones most seasons. You just have to pay for them. In years past $6/lb seemed to be the price, and a generously sized bunch would set you back the better part of a twenty. Not now --Chinatown prices have been as low as $2/lb. though don't be surprised to pay more for the really good stuff.

This year there seems to be a bumper Floridia crop and prices are quite moderate--and the quality I've had so far has been pretty good.

SOME IDEAS FOR LITCHI

1. Add them to sweet & sour pork or chickcen -- in fact it's a good excuse

to make this maligned but delicious dish. Don't cook them, just peel, seed and toss a few into the dish just as you're saucing it after everything else is cooked.

2. Fresh litchi sorbet -- At this price it really makes sense -- still expensive but not outrageous -- just lotsa work and really special. But if you take this advice please don't forget to PM and invite me over for a taste! Good thing to do with litchi that need a flavor boost.

3. Fruit salad -- What a treat to find fresh litchi mixed in.

Todays breakfast is a fruit salad which has: strawberries, litchi, white donut peach, watermelon, fresh cherries, homemade stewed sour cherries

banana, and a prune or two as a garnish.

[Schielke]

I saw a bin of tiwanese lychee at Uyjamaya in Seattle yesterday. The produce person claimed that the tiawanese version has smaller seeds and is sweeter than US versions.

Ben

[eatingwitheddie]

I saw a bin of tiwanese lychee at Uyjamaya in Seattle yesterday.  The produce person claimed that the tiawanese version has smaller seeds and is sweeter than US versions.

Ben

These are the usual claims: smaller seeds and sweeter. In any event I've had good ones from Florida, Hawaii, South Africa and other places that I don't recall at the moment. And yes we want our litchi to be meaty (the result of small seeds) and bursting with juice so sweet it gets your fingers sticky

When purchasing litchi select ones that are large and well formed and most importantly bright red/pink (not brown) in color.

[NeroW]

Thanks eddie.

I've been seeing these at the supermarket and wondering if they were worth the expense.

[Pan]

My take on lychees is that the ones from southern China are by far the best. I've had Israeli ones, and they're clearly inferior to the Chinese ones. The ones I've had from Florida were terrible or, at best, not worth eating. (All of these opinions are based on what's available from street vendors and fruit stores in Manhattan's Chinatown.) Really good lychees that are sweet, perfumy, and juicy with a tart aftertaste are second to no other fruit, in my opinion.

[Schielke]

If I get back down to the International Dist. soon, I will try out some of the tiwanese ones.

Ben

[runninwithscissors]

If I get back down to the International Dist. soon, I will try out some of the tiwanese ones.

Ben

Ben, while you're there, would you look to see if they carry the lychee's cousin, rambutan?? I'd pay just about anything if they carry them. YUM!

Thanks!

[Schielke]

I didn't see them there. I was actually looking for mangosteen since I heard you can get them from hawaii now.

I do know they have them canned though.

Ben

[runninwithscissors]

I didn't see them there.  I was actually looking for mangosteen since I heard you can get them from hawaii now.

I do know they have them canned though. 

Ben

Dang...just wishful thinkin'...

Thanks for the reply...and did you find the mangosteen?? Also a wonderful fruit.

Can't wait to get back up there...up to my armpits in packing boxes and amazed at the amount of crap I've amassed in 3 years. *sigh* Also can't wait to get outta this gawdawful, freakin' heat!! *groan*

Enough of my whining...off to pack more boxes...*ugh*

[torakris]

I love lychees.

They are quite difficult to find in stores in Japan, but they are a regular addition to salad bars here...?

For some reason they was an import ban on a lot of "exotic fruits" and just this year for the first time I am seeing durian, rambutan and just last week one of the supermarkets was advertising their first selling of fresh mangosteen, specifically mentioning the lifting of the ban.

Looks like I have lots of experimenting to do this summer with some new fruits.

lychees in sweet and sour..... that sounds incredible, have got to give it a try!

[Pan]

I don't recall where Schielke is, but in my experience, rambutan are good only in the countries where they grow. Even the rambutan I got in Hong Kong were terrible. That's just a fruit that doesn't export well at all.

I have on rare occasions found some mediocre mangosteens for sale in New York, and a mediocre little mangosteen is still pretty damned good, as mangosteen is (along with lychee, of course, but also peach and nectarine) one of the very best fruits.

[Schielke]

I did not find any fresh mangosteen here (seattle), but did pick up some canned ones in syrup. Who knows if they will be any good...

Ben

[eatingwitheddie]

Really good lychees that are sweet, perfumy, and juicy with a tart aftertaste are second to no other fruit, in my opinion.

I agree.

Look for really goood ones in NYC -- I have found them every year without fail.

We get a small amount of fresh rambutan as well, usually a little later in the season

[Pan]

I don't ever recall seeing rambutan for sale in New York in any form other than canned in syrup and frozen. I once got some frozen rambutan from a store on Grand St. and Christie, and they were horrible!

Where do you find truly fresh rambutan in New York, and are they bearable for someone who's had the real thing in Malaysia?

[beans]

I've been to our little Asian Plaza in Chinatown and I have seen rambutan. I was elated!!! I bought up their entire stock. When I got home I was so sadly disappointed. I once traveled to Bankok. Those little gems were refilled daily by housekeeping. My first moments at the hotel I stood in the room holding the small bowl of fruit with a puzzed look. I remembered housekeeping was in the hall. I did a pointing and smiling routine and they grabbed one and tore it open. It changed my life.

Damn, even Seattle, my fav haunt, doesn't even get good ones.

Spotted lychee "nuts" today at the market in my hood. They were small. Guess that's the best I'll see in these parts. Just damn happy to find glorious Ranier cherries....

Oh, I'm so sorry. Ideas for lychee. Sorry. I'd say make icecream or sorbet (I know, not very original). I got all carried away with the travel memories.....

Edited June 28, 2003 by beans (log)

[Ruth]

I found some excellent lychees, sweet and with very small seeds, on a street stand in the Brooklyn Chinatown yesterday. They were going for $5.00 for two lbs and I decided to make a sorbet. Not that easy to extract all the juice as there is a tough brown skin between the seed and the flesh which must be eliminated. All I added was lemon juice, a little sugar and some alcohol to prevent it from getting to hard in the freezer. Came out beautifully. I only wish I had a better juice extractor as there was more waste than I would have liked.

[ecr]

The quality of southern Chinese lychees is matched by those from Thailand (around Chiang Mai) and Vietnam (northern) .... heavily perfumed, sweet, juicy, and with small seeds. The season (for those of you who want to plan travel to SE Asia around lychees!) for the former is May-June and for the latter, June-early July.

Lychees are wonderful straight from the freezer (freeze unpeeled), and dried as well.

[Jason Perlow]

Here is a recipe for Lychee & Key Lime Sorbet.

This was served at the 2nd New York Pot Luck yesterday!

[beans]

Jason, thank you for sharing that recipe! Lychee and key limes --

[tissue]

I like lychee ice cream.

I don't know how to make it. But I buy it at this ice cream store in Alhambra, CA.

There was also a lychee sale at 99 ranch market on Saturday and i bought 4 pounds for $1.99 a pound. I ate too much and now I regret it.

[mudbug]

Anyone ever considered growing lychees? Hard to resist fresh from the tree!

There's a pretty good website on this:Info on Growing & Eating Lychees as well as much discussion on it here.

Edited July 21, 2003 by mudbug (log)

[anil]

Nearly very street-cart vendor on Mott (south of Canal), Canal had pile-load of lychees this weekend.