Lychee fruit, once removed from its skin and seed, can be served whole or pureed. It is usually eaten raw, but it can be very lightly cooked (add at the very end of the cooking process). Try using lychee purees in sauces, beverages, and desserts (particularly ice cream or sorbet).
For best flavor and texture, do not peel lychees until just before preparing.
Lychees work well with proteins like chicken, pork, seafood, and duck. Other lychee-friendly foods include coconuts, passion fruits, oranges, raspberries, saffron, limes, honey, palm sugar and ginger. When using lychees as exotic cocktail ingredients, pair them with rum, vodka, sparkling white wine, or sake.
