Lychee has a long history to go with its delicious taste. First cultivated in southern China in the 11th century (with sources mentioning them as early as 2000 BC), lychee had captured the fascination of the Chinese Imperial Court for centuries. These unique berries have a juicy texture and delicately sweet taste—it’s similar to a grape, but the taste also has floral and citrus notes. Once you try these for yourself, you’ll see why lychee earned the title “the king of fruits”!
Lychee has a rough, bright red rind that needs to be peeled before you can eat the fruit. In most Asian markets, you can find canned lychees that have already been peeled and pitted, but the canning process does remove some of the floral notes from the taste. If you can find fresh lychee, you’ll never go back!
In this recipe, I pair sweet lychee with tart raspberries to balance out both flavors. The floral notes in both fruits blend beautifully together, and the tart-sweet flavors will make this smoothie a new favorite for your whole family!
Raspberry Lychee Smoothie
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup lychees, peeled and pitted
1/4 cup apple, peeled and chopped
2/3 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup milk
Combine all ingredients in a blender, and purée until smooth. Serves about 2.
Hapanese Cuisine 