Lychee Beef Stir Fry

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I love it when you get a good idea and you just know it is going to work. Sometimes I get these little stokes of creativity and I just HAVE to do them.

This is what happened with this recipe. I was looking through the pantry cupboard and saw a can of lychees that I had bought at the Asian supermarket in Philly with my sister. I had a can just like this one in Sydney that I had purchased on impulse but never gotten around to using. I was always hopeful about it though. I guess that is what compelled me to buy a can to replace that one I had to give away when I came to the USA.

So there it was sitting in my cupboard minding its own business when I spotted it and suddenly BAM! I had an idea. Now it's happened to me before that I come up with what I think is a great idea except that when I tell someone about it, it turns out that it is already a 'thing'. An idea is no good if it's already spread around this internet thingy. So I got smart about it and googled it. Can you believe that there was nothing like it! This did deter me momentarily as I wondered why no one else had done it or at least shared it, maybe the flavours wouldn't work together? But then I just knew it would be delicious and so that is how this recipe came to be. 

So here it is for you to enjoy!

Recipe: Lychee Beef Stir Fry

Ingredients

250 grams beef mince

6-8 small shallots

2 garlic cloves

1 yellow capsicum (any colour is ok, this is what I had in the fridge ;-)

1 can of baby corn, fresh is good too

1/2 a can of lychees, drained. If fresh peel and de-seeded.

1/2 - 1 tablespoon of ginger

1 small fresh chilli (optional)

1 lime
1 small bunch of coriander, leaves only, chopped

1 tablespoon of oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt 

Method

Wash and finely dice the shallots, discarding the roots and the top floppy green part.

Peel the garlic discarding the tops and ends, and slice finely.

Wash and finely dice the capsicum, discarding the tops, seeds and white pith.

                               

Open the canned baby corn,discard liquid, rinse and chop into bite sized pieces. 

                  

 

 Open the canned lychee, separate and keep the liquid (it's delicious and can be used in many recipes) and put aside the reaming of the fruit for future use. Shred lychees using a knife or your hands.

Peel and finely slice the ginger.

Finely slice the chili

 In a large fry pan or wok heat the oil. Once heated add the capsicum and allow to softened, about 1-2 minutes. Then stir in the half the shallots, garlic, ginger allow to soften and steam for approx 1 minute.

                 

    

At this point, add the minced beef. Break up and stir fry the meat.

Add the cumin and some salt and mix well

 Once the meat had browned add the corn and the lychee, cook until softened 

 Squeeze half a lime over the dish.

Serve each plate topped with the chopped coriander and a small lime wedge and some chopped shallots.

Enjoy on its own for a light lunch or with rice as a heartier meal at dinner.