I've been wanting to write about the wonderful fruit called lychee. I happened to find these at LeeLee's in Chandler which is a giant and crazy Asian grocery store. LeeLee's in itself is another whole post that I'll save for another day.
Ahhhh, the lychee. This is a delicious little fruit - the size of a smaller apricot. The skin is made up of small scales and is ever so slightly prickly. Thin and peelable, the shell protects the juicy meat inside. The lychee inside is very hard to describe. I almost want to say that it has the consistency of a pineapple but then really...it doesn't. It's kinda jelly-like but wait...not really. Can you tell that it's hard to describe? The inside is somewhat white/translucent and if you have a good batch (which I do - terrific!) will be soft and very juicy. Inside is a solid black seed, the size of an almond. Be careful not to bite down. The seeds aren't incredibly hard but it's never fun to bite in to a seed.
Mini-craters make up the shell. Actually, it kinda looks like mini-nipples...hahahaha!!
In the midst of peeling off the shell
What a tease! You can see how juicy the lychee is as the light catches it's sheen - YUM!We grew up eating these little lovelies and I don't think I realized how much I loved them until today when I scoffed down about 10 of them in a row. I love eating fruits from my childhood. We were always blessed with having a plethora of fruit surrounding us - mangoes, plums, apricots, tangerines, grapes...the list goes on. It's not always been easy to find the equivalent in the US. Mangoes are finally picking up popularity and are everywhere - although not always so great. I found a custard apple a couple months ago but it cost $7 for just one (I had to have it!) and it unfortunately wasn't very delicious.
Back to the lychees...please note that these are wonderful if served cold, especially on a warm day and trust me, we can take care of that! Rich wasn't quite so enticed with the lychees however a buddy at work found them quite intriguing. If you see these little glories in the grocery store, please do try them out! You might just be surprised at what you find inside!
5 comments:
I want to try a custard apple!!
LOVE LeeLee's and lychees! :)
Kelly - custard apples are crazy hard to describe but SO good! Definitely look out for them at the asian food store.
M - I was wondering if you had been to LeeLees. I really need to take my camera there next time and do a photo story. Just pictures of the fruit/veggie selection as well as the fish would be enough to explain the glory of LeeLees.
I looove Lee Lees! Haven't been there in years, though. We used to live in Tempe and made the trek to that store every month.
Never have tried a lychee, though. Hubby likes them.
Leaner - you will have to try them some time soon! They are deeeelish!
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