Che Vai Hat Sen (Lychee and Lotus Seed Sweet Soup), Sweetened with Monk Fruit
Sweets and drinksSweet SoupsVietnam30 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking
This sweet soup hides a whole lotus seed inside each lychee and spoons a lightly thickened syrup over the top. The bowl is clear, fragrant with lotus and wonderfully cooling served cold. The tricky part is removing the lychee stone while keeping the flesh whole, since one wrong cut splits the fruit open.
The lotus seeds need a quick boil before they are seasoned, and skipping that step leaves the syrup astringent. A common problem is simmering the seeds too long, which turns them mushy and clouds the soup.
This batch weighs about 1.6kg, at roughly 85 calories per 100g.
Method
Peel 12 to 15 fresh lychees and run the tip of a knife close to the rim of the opening to lift out the stone without splitting the flesh.
For 200g fresh lotus seeds, push out the green germ and peel off the thin skin. For dried seeds, soak them for 30 minutes to soften. Blanch them to take out the astringency, then rinse and drain.
Put the lotus seeds in a pot with 108g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and leave them for 10 to 15 minutes to absorb.
Turn the heat to low and cook the seeds for about 5 minutes with 1/3 teaspoon coarse salt so they stay fragrant and firm.
Once the sweetener has melted, pour in about 1.2 liters of water for the soup. Bring it to a boil, lower the heat and simmer the lotus seeds for 15 minutes.
Lift out 12 to 15 lotus seeds, tuck one into each lychee and return them to the pot for another 2 minutes.
Spoon the stuffed lychees into bowls. Mix 50g kudzu root starch with cold water, pour it slowly into the pot while stirring and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until the starch is cooked, then ladle it over the bowls.
Tips
Choose lychees that are oval, round at the opening and tapering to a point, as these have small stones and thick flesh.
Three or four lychees per bowl is plenty, since more of them drown out the lotus.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so give the seeds the full 15 minutes and stir them again after 5 minutes so they take it up evenly.
Kudzu root starch has to be mixed into cold water before it goes into the pot, as dry starch clumps immediately.
Let the soup cool before it goes in the fridge, and add shaved ice when serving.
Stuffed lychees only need 2 minutes in the pot, since longer cooking turns the flesh soft and takes away its snap.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.