Home cooking: Stuffed lychee over custard

Lychee harvest season is upon us, and while Cantonese adore popping these juicy pods by the dozen, they also worry about the fruit’s excessive heat. Classified as ‘hot’ in Chinese traditional medicine, lychees can cause a sore throat or fever when devoured in large quantities. The trick? Pair them with a cool food to keep the body’s qi in check, or in this case, stuff them with fresh cuttlefish. A perfectly balanced, TCM-approved concoction, this succulent recipe achieves a healthy solution to the longstanding dilemma of lychee consumption. Even Katy Perry would agree.

Ingredients:

3 eggs

300g fresh lychees

200g fresh squid

crab roe (optional)

broccoli (optional)

Preparation:

1) Beat the eggs thoroughly and place in a deep plate.

2) Add a little water and stir until even.

3) Steam the egg-water mixture for five minutes.

4) Take the fresh lychees and remove the peel and core.

5) De-skin squids and mash meat into a paste.

6) Spread the paste into the lychees one by one with a spoon.

7) Place stuffed lychees over steamed egg custard and adorn with crab roe and broccoli.

8) Steam for another two minutes and serve immediately.

 

// This recipe is courtesy of Chef Snow Wang at Wanda Realm Guangzhou Zengcheng, Block 10, 69 Zengcheng Dadao, Licheng, Zengcheng District 增城区荔城增城大道69号10幢 (3263 8888)