Easy peasy creamy lychee popsicles
My first taste of the lychee (also spelled 鈥渓itchi鈥�) fruit came from a can.
I can still remember biting into soft, milky white flesh, a sweet floral taste bursting in my mouth. It was definitely love at first bite and it鈥檚 stuck with me.
When I was growing up, canned lychees were all that was available. Over the decades,听the fresh fruit became increasingly easier to find. Lychees grow wild in China, Vietnam and Cambodia but are now cultivated in China,听India,听many parts of tropical听Southeast Asia, and even California and Florida.
Ironically, I was a little disappointed when I came across the fresh fruit later in life. I was unsure of the pinkish-red skin, scaly and prickly in parts, and what鈥檚 that hard coffee-brown seed doing in the middle? Plus, after working hard to peel the skin off, not every fruit was sweet, unlike the ones from the can.
As much as I prefer fresh fruit and vegetables, I almost always choose canned lychees 鈥� there鈥檚 no fuss, no seeds, and they鈥檙e always ready to eat.
And there are oh-so-many ways you can eat canned lychees. You can听stuff them, eat them with听almond jelly听and make a mean听lychee martini. I鈥檝e also had an absolutely delicious听duck and lychee red curry听at a Seattle Thai restaurant.听My mom used to crack open a can of lychees and serve them to us in a bowl with ice 鈥� instant dessert!
Yes, lychees are very versatile.
This summer has been pretty brutal so far. If it hasn鈥檛 been storming, it鈥檚 been in the 90s, or both! As I languished in the heat and humidity, I decided to comfort myself by incorporating one of my favorite fruits into everyone鈥檚 must-have summertime treat 鈥� popsicles. 听
听贰苍箩辞测!
Easy Peasy Creamy Lychee Popsicles
Serves 6听
1 cup whipped topping (like Cool Whip) or heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup lychee syrup (from the can)
10 lychees, drained (1/2-3/4 cup)
1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Pulse for 5 to 10 seconds until well mixed but the lychee bits are still chunky.
2. Pour the mixture into 6 x 1/4 cup popsicle molds, leaving about 1/2-inch at the top. Freeze for at least 4 to 6 hours.
3. Enjoy!
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