Hello my dear Hive vegan friends!
Today I bring you a super simple recipe, but at the same time sophisticated! Yes, I am talking about ceviche! This is a dish that makes a tremendous success in Latin America. It's such a hype that you can find ceviche in Chile, Uruguay, and Argentina, among other countries. However, ceviche has its origins in Peru and is considered an iconic dish of the Andean culture!
In today's recipe, our ceviche, of course, is vegan! So we left the little fishes alive in the rivers and seas, to put in their place an amazing fruit. Yes, I'm talking about the lychee! This recipe is simply delicious, and I highly recommend it!
The History of Ceviche
Ceviche is a dish that gives Peruvians tremendous pride, which is why it is considered a national heritage. Some historians say that ceviche has been present in Andean cuisine for more than 4,000 years, but we don't know to what extent this is really true.
The word "ceviche" comes from the Quechua "siwichi" which means "fresh fish". So this is a dish made from white saltwater fish, served raw and marinated in lemon. According to historians, ceviche was formerly marinated in a fruit called "curuba" very similar to passion fruit, since lemon only arrived in Peru with the Spanish.
Lychee Ceviche
I am simply in love with lychees! I find this little fruit versatile and delicious. Here in Brazil it is relatively expensive and we can only find it for sale in December. As this time of the year is very hot here, ceviche is a great dish to be served both as a starter and as a main course in the end of the year parties.
Today at the supermarket I found a sale on lychees and since it's very hot, this delicious ceviche was simply the starter for my lunch!
Besides lychee, other ingredients like banana and chayote can also be used for the vegan versions of this dish.
Well, now that you know a little bit of the history of ceviche, let's go to the recipe?
The Recipe
To make this lychee ceviche (which is very easy!), you'll need
1 package of lychees (about 20 lychees)
½ red onion
1 lime (if you don't have, lemon is perfectly fine!)
1 finger fresh ginger
1 sprig of cilantro (or parsley, if you don't like cilantro)
1 finger pepper
Salt to taste
How to make your ceviche
The first step is to slice the red onion very thinly and place them directly on ice. This process helps to reduce the onion's pungency, and also prevents you from getting that taste, or rather, that famous onion puff.
ice on the onions make total difference!
After this step, it is time to peel the lychees and remove the seed. As you can see, these lychee pieces look very much like pieces of fish, which makes the dish a perfect ceviche.
Lychee: what a gorgeour fruit!
looks like a fish, but it isn't!
Put the lychee pieces aside on a plate and you'll notice that the fruit itself releases a little broth. Don't throw it away! After all, it's this broth that will give the dish its flavor.
Now it's time to grate the ginger, chop the pepper, and the cilantro. Since cilantro is a controversial ingredient, if you don't like it, just substitute it for the parsley.
Raw ginger give such a special flavour to this dish
Spice it up babe!
Squeeeezzzeee the lime
cilantro is my religion
Add all the ingredients and then the onion. Finally, just squeeze the lime on top and serve! Really! This is a super refreshing dish, ideal for hot days or as a starter for a special dinner!
I highly recommend it! If you try this amazing recipe, please give us your opinion here in the comments!
I hope that you like it! See ya on the next recipe!