Lychee season is even shorter than mango season. It’s just long enough to remind me how much I love them. They’re so refreshing. I grab a few cold ones from the fridge before I head outside, then peel and eat them on the go. They’re juicier and sweeter than grapes, with a delicate floral flavor.
There’s a brief moment mid-summer when I have all my favorites ripe at once: lychees, mangos, and watermelon. Our fruit salads during that time are outstanding.
The hibiscus tea syrup adds a little punch of tangy hibiscus and a hint of ginger and mint. Adding this over fresh, perfectly ripe fruit is gilding the lily, but you won’t regret it.
If you’ve ever had any Celestial Seasonings ‘Zinger’ teas, they’re made with hibiscus. Here’s my recipe using fresh blossoms. It’s tart and refreshing like lemonade. Besides that, it’s fun to cook with flowers and there’s a cool color-change magic trick. This version is more concentrated, creating a syrup. Drizzle it on any fruit you have on hand, stir it in a cocktail, or spoon it over ice cream.
I guess you would call this gilding the lychee.
- 1/2 a watermelon, cut in chunks
- 2 mangos, cut in chunks
- 16-20 lychees, peeled and seeded
- 1 cup water
- 1" piece of ginger, grated
- 2 sprigs spearmint
- 1 cup sugar
- 3-4 hibiscus flowers, stem and stamen removed*
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- spearmint leaves, for garnish
- Put all the fruit in a salad bowl and refrigerate.
- Add the water and ginger to a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add the mint, sugar, and hibiscus flowers. Reduce the heat to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the color from the hibiscus has transferred to the water. Pour the mixture into a jar and allow it to cool. Stir in the lime juice (fun trick- it turns hot pink).
- Just before serving, pour the hibiscus syrup over the fruit salad. Garnish with mint leaves if you like.
- In my research I've found all hibiscus are edible, but the red ones add more color. Make sure the flowers you pick haven't been treated with pesticides.
