Seasonal Recipes: Watermelon and Lychees
Admittedly, I’m not a stickler when it comes to eating seasonal produce. Most, if not all the time, I prefer grocery shopping according to greed as opposed to shopping according to season.
Realistically, cooking for one person means I don’t buy more grocery items than I need. Thus, dishes that require a hefty amount of ingredients I tend to stay away from. But this summer, it is my goal to incorporate at least two seasonal ingredients into every dish that I make.
Firstly, eating foods that are in season in your native land simply tastes better. Since they are produced locally, they are usually fresh and unprocessed. Furthermore, by buying seasonal produce, you’re not only supporting local farmers and economy, you’ll be decreasing the environmental damage caused by the shipping process of food from abroad. Most convincingly, out-of-season foods tend to be less healthy than seasonal items since they are often grown in unnatural or artificial conditions.
Apart from the ‘do good’ factor, I’m personally tired of making big batches of meat sauce, freezing them into portions before reheating them for dinner. I have become a lazy cook. I’m eating for the sake of being full. As such, cooking according to season is a great way to try something new and make cooking that little more fun again.
To start off easy, I’m going to provide a drink and dessert-type recipe using roughly the same ingredients. And since it’s summertime, my two seasonal ingredients are watermelon and ice. I kid, I kid. Watermelon and lychees.
Watermelon is one of those rare foods that not only tastes great but is good for you too. It’s jammed pack with antioxidants and vitamin C, and has virtually no cholesterol or fat content. Likewise, lychees contain more vitamin C than oranges, and is often associated with increasing one’s energy levels.
First off, a cooling drink so easy to make you can do it in the dark. But I suggest you don’t. I originally tasted this drink at a café in Malaysia but now that I’m away, I’ve had to satisfy my craving for it by making it myself.
I must confess, when I made this drink I used canned lychees even though the fruit itself is in season and widely available at supermarkets. However, the day I went into get some, there were none left, hence the can. But in this case, canned lychees are actually more practical than using fresh ones.
Simple Syrup
Equal parts of sugar and water heated in a pan until sugar dissolves. This syrup can be kept in the fridge for a long time.
Watermelon and Lychee Drink
Serves 4-5 glasses
Ingredients:
100-150ml of simple syrup
1/4 watermelon, flesh roughly chopped
7 fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 can of lychees
4 handfuls of ice
Vodka (optional)
Method:
1. Add watermelon, simple syrup (if necessary), mint leaves and ice into blender and blend till smooth.
2. Pour mixture into glass and add three lychees in per glass
3. For happy days, add vodka
Watermelon and Vodka Granita
Ingredients:
100ml of simple syrup
a large 1/4 or 1/2 watermelon, flesh roughly chopped
200ml vodka or to taste (optional)
Method:
- Put sugar syrup and watermelon into a blender and blend till smooth.
- Add vodka to the mixture then strain through a sieve to remove seeds.
- Pour mixture into a shallow dish and place it in the freezer.
- Every 2-3 hours, remove shallow dish and run a fork through the mixture to give the granita a nice fluffy, grainy texture.
- When granita is completely frozen, run fork along the mixture and serve.
