Love for lychees

Packed with abundance of nutrition and goodness, lychees are known as the Queen of Fruits. They are also called Chinese Strawberry, having seen its origins that side of the world. They are oval round and petite, roughly the size of a walnut and their leathery skin covered with tiny spikes. Young lychees usually start out green and as they mature, they get blushed with a tinge of pink and eventually they brighten up to red. The pearly white pulp is covered in juice and houses a dark brown seed at its centre. The firm yet gelatinous pulp is chewy and juicy mellow in taste with a fruity flavor to enhance our moods.

Health benefits of lychees

• A great ingredient helps us boost our immunity system.
• High in fibre content which is good for us.
• Contains considerable amounts of minerals like potassium, copper and also rich in Vitamin C.
• Use when on a weight loss regime.
• Help improve blood circulation in the body and good for bone health.

TROPICAL LYCHEE TOSS SALAD

Ingredients
8-10 lychees – fresh/ tinned stone removed and cut 1 x 2
1 mango cut into cubes
½ cup tender coconut malai/ shredded flesh
1 lime juice
2 tsp ginger juice
1 tsp honey
8-10 mint leaves
4-5 fresh basil leaves
2 tsp flax seeds/melon seeds/toasted white sesame seeds.
1 pinch of salt
1 tbsp raisins and walnuts chopped
Method
Prepare all the ingredients for the easy marinated tropical lychee salad. In a mixing bowl, add the ingredients for the dressing and mix them all well. Add in the lychees, mango, tender coconut, nuts and seeds, herbs and give it a nice toss. Keep this bowl in the fridge or in a cool place for around 15-20 mins and then serve the refreshing bowl of salad to rejuvenate.

LYCHEE DETOX COOLER

Ingredients
8-10 no lychees- fresh/canned
2 cups coconut water
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp honey
1 tsp chia seed powder- optional/  ¼ tsp cinnamon powder (optional)
8-10 mint leaves
Method
Pre-prep all the ingredients for the simple refreshing cooler recipe. In a blender jar combine together the lychees and other ingredients add in a little coconut water and churn it up into a nice crush. Chill the serving glasses and add a couple of ice cubes if desired and then pour the blended concoction in the glasses and top with more coconut water all the way up. Give it a nice stir and serve immediately.

LYCHEE SMOOTHIE

Ingredients
8-10 lychees- fresh/tinned
1 ripe banana
1 tsp flax seed powder/ chia seed powder
1 cup milk
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
2-3 tbsp fresh tender coconut malai
1 tbsp assorted chopped nuts.
Method
Prepare all the ingredients for the healthy smoothie shake. In a blender jar combine together the lychees, banana, milk, ice-cream and tender coconut malai and churn them all into a nice smooth mixture. Remove the smoothie into chilled serving glasses and garnish with nuts/mint/ fresh lychee and serve.

LYCHEE KA DESI ANDAZ

Ingredients
8-10 lychees- fresh/tinned, roughly cut.
3 and a half cups milk
2 tbsp raw rice powder along with 2-3 green cardamoms crushed
3-4 tbsp sugar or use jaggery/ honey/ date puree
2 tbsp grated mava
2 tsp chopped almonds and raisins
2 tsp chopped cashewnuts
1 tsp ghee
2 tsp rose water
Method
Prepare all the ingredients before starting up the desi sweet recipe. In a saucepan combine together milk, sugar or sweetener as desired to taste, stir well for a couple of minutes and add in the rice and cardamom mix and stir constantly for around 12-15 mins on a low flame allowing the rice to cook and thicken up the phirni gradually. After around 15-20 mins the phirni starts getting a little texture to it, add the ghee and mava and a few nuts and stir well, simmer for another 12-15 mins. Allow to cool and add the rose water, a few roughly cut lychees into the phirni and mix well, set the phirni in dessert bowls/ cups and allow to chill for 1-2 hours, garnish with assorted nuts and few lychees and serve.

LYCHEE VEGGIE GOODNESS

Ingredients
8-10 lychees fresh/tinned
1 green cucumber, cut into slices
½ cup pomegranate seeds
1 small tomato cut into cubes
1 cup papaya cubes
1 pinch of salt
2 tsp ginger juice
¼ tsp crushed black pepper
8-10 mint leaves
2 tsp honey
5-6 fresh basil leaves
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp white sesame seeds/ chia seeds/ sunflower seeds
Method
Prepare all the ingredients for the goodness tossed salad. In a mixing bowl, assemble all the ingredients for the dressing and mix it well. Add in the veggies and seeds, herbs, lychees and toss them all up with the dressing and allow to rest for 8-10 mins in the fridge. Arrange a base of fresh lettuce leaves on a serving plate or a salad bowl and portion the lychee veggie salad and garnish with fresh micro-greens, pomegranate seeds, fresh herbs and seeds etc.

LUSTY LYCHEE PUDDING

Ingredients
8-10 lychees fresh/tinned, chopped
1 mango cut into cubes
½ tin condensed milk/ milkmaid
2 tsp gelatin
3 tbsp. custard powder vanilla flavoured
750 ml milk
½ cup whipping cream
Method
Prepare the custard first, boil the milk add in the custard powder dissolved in 2 tbsp. cold milk and gradually thicken it by stirring constantly, once the custard gets thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, turn off the flame, allow to cool. Soak the gelatin in 2 tbsp. warm water and allow to bloom for 4-5 mins and add it to the custard while it is still warm. In a separate bowl beat together the condensed milk and the cream together until light and fluffy. Add in the roughly cut lychees and mangoes into the cooled down custard mixture. Lastly fold in the cream and condensed milk and blend it all well. Portion the dessert into serving bowls/cups and allow to set in the fridge for 2-3 hours and garnish with a dollop of cream and a few fresh lychees/nuts/ cherries/ mint and serve chilled,