Who doesn’t love delicious ice cream? If you’re anything like me, then you’ll understand what I mean when I say that ice cream is an icy cold treat that can be enjoyed all year long, especially when it has the sugary spin of lychee added to it.
Lychee, (otherwise known as Litchi Chinesis Sonn) is a sweet fruit that originated in the southern subtropical and northern tropical regions of China.
To this very day, wild lychee trees flourish and thrive in tropical rainforests located in South China’s southern provinces, including Guangxi and Hainan.
Source: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/lychee-dessert-tapioca-pearls-coconut-on-536859661
As an ingredient, the lychee fruit is versatile and easy to work with. It has an aromatic and sweet flavor, and I’ve noticed that it has a very similar taste to that of pear and grape.
Its indulgent fragrance also smells very similar to freshly cut roses, which means that lychee works great in a variety of dessert dishes, including ice cream.
So, whether you’ve recently tried lychee ice cream at your favorite Chinese restaurant and want to try making some from the comfort of your own home, or you’re simply want to level up your dinner hosting skills, the recipe that I’m going to be showing you today is sure to bring the sunshine – regardless of what the weather might be outside!
How To Make Lychee Ice Cream:
Even though lychee ice cream can be enjoyed year-round, I like to make homemade lychee ice cream during the summer.
Besides helping to refresh the senses and cool rising temperatures from the sunshine, it also just so happens to be the time of the year when the lychee fruit is in season.
Health-wise, there are so many benefits to incorporating lychee into your diet. For starters, it’s a fantastic antioxidant, which means that it will be able to fight free radicals, all the while refreshing your palate with its sweet flavor.
It also has high levels of nutrients and essential vitamins, including vitamin C which is great for our immune systems, and magnesium which will help to strengthen your bones. Delicious and healthy? It’s a yes from me.
Lychee ice cream is the perfect option for anyone that likes to indulge in sweet treats without being too unhealthy and is also a great option for those that prefer palate refresher desserts thanks to the aromatic flavor of the lychee.
If you’re not sure where to start, though, don’t panic. I’ve perfected my very own spin on lychee ice cream, and below I’m going to be talking you through the instructions so you can make it yourself.
If you’ve got your very own lychee tree, then the summer months are when your lychee will be ripe, juicy, and full to the brim with sweetness, which makes it the perfect time to add a few into some tasty ice cream!
However, if you’re craving some lychee during the colder months, you could also head down to your local Asian food store, where you will be able to pick some canned lychee up there.
To simplify your cooking process, I’ve laid out everything you’ll need to make lychee ice cream below:
What You’ll Need:
- 2 portions of fresh lychee
- Vanilla essence
- One pinch of salt
- 3 egg yolks
- ½ a cup of sugar
- ½ a cup of cream
- ¼ cup of sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup of milk
Lychee Ice Cream: Step-by-Step Instructions:
- First things first, you’re going to need to start off by mixing your cream and condensed milk into a saucepan, preferably medium-sized. Place the saucepan over low heat and mix until you notice bubbles forming on the top of the mixture. Keep in mind here that the aim is to mix and warm the two together, rather than allowing it to boil.
- Once you have noticed the little bubbles forming on the edge of the cream and condensed milk mixture, the next thing you need to do is go ahead and whisk the 3 egg yolks together into a small bowl, and then add your pinch of salt and sugar. Then, mix a small portion of the warmed mixture into the bowl, as this will help to help combine the three ingredients together.
- After doing this, pour the mixture inside the small bowl into the saucepan, and turn the heat back on to a low to medium setting for a few minutes. Stir constantly so that none of the mixture sticks to the bottom of the saucepan. After you begin to notice little bubbles forming on the outside of the mixture again, immediately turn off the heat and set the saucepan aside so that the mixture can cool down.
- Once the ice cream mixture has been given time to cool, you’re then going to need to strain the mixture through a sieve, directly into a clean bowl. Once you have done this, you can then add in your vanilla essence, before allowing the mixture to sit in your refrigerator for around 8 hours. Tip: I like to prepare my lychee ice cream during the evening so that by the time I wake up, my ice cream mixture is ready for the next step.
- After the 8 hours have passed, you can then begin to prepare your lychee. Wash each one thoroughly, and then peel and remove the seeds. Then, put your lychee into a blender to make them into a puree which you can then pour into your mixture in the refrigerator.
- Once you have done this, process your mixture through an ice cream maker. Alternatively, if you don’t have one, place the mixture into your freezer for one hour, or until you can see that the outer edges of the mixture are frozen.
- You will then need to mix the ice cream thoroughly, making sure that all of the frozen bits of the mixture are crushed until the mixture is soft and smooth, just like ice cream. To make things even more simple, you could simply opt to use a blender for this step.
- Then, scoop the ice cream into a container, smooth the top so it’s nice and neat, and then allow it to stay in the freezer overnight before enjoying!
