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!
This is a great alternative, I liked ceviche the very few times I tasted it, but I did not trust that way of preparing fish. Now here in the vegan community, I explore many other substitutions and your recipe looks great. Thanks for sharing!
thanks for your comment! hope you try it! it's amazing!
Hi @helgalubevi! welcome to the Plant Power Vegan community.
This vegan ceviche is spectacular. I really liked the way you wrote it and the tips you give regarding ice and onion, as well as the alternatives with the ingredients.
I hope you share more posts in the community.
Soon we will publish a new vegan challenge, I hope you participate in it.
Greetings and happy new year.
Hey @sirenahippie! So happy to hear your comment. I was diagnosed with endometriosis and I'm on a very restrict diet, basically I need to improve my vegan recipes knowleadge! So, it's going to be a pleasure to learn more and share here! I'll keep an eye on the contest for sure!
Oh, how unfortunate; but hey, the important thing is that you are already diagnosed and have good eating habits.
When we publish the challenge, it will be pinned in the community, so you can see it and be encouraged to participate.
Greetings and good health to you.
I first had cerviche in Peru, it was sooooo lovely. Lychee is sweet and fragrant, very different taste from fish, I wonder if I will find it odd as so far I've associated cerviche as a savoury dish.
How are you doing @helgalubevi? I wish you health and health and health in 2023!!
Hey @livinguktaiwan! Thank you so much for your comment and your wishes. Yes, I'm dealing with the endometriosis diagnosis now, and a lot of new changes on my diet and life. But I'll do my best to learn the lessons I need with all these. I'm starting a new community here on Hive to talk about woman's health. Maybe in the future, I would like to make a fund on crypto just to help researches on topics related to that, because we simply don't have enough science + information... Let's see! I wish you a beautiful 2023, with a lot of joy!! I always remember you 'cause I still have that lovely cup holder you gave me. It's with my ginger tea everyday as I write here!! <3
Ahhh! And you should give a try to this recipe! It's very impressive how much ceviche spirit it has inside!! hahahahh I live more than fish, to be honest!
Oh yes, love em so nice! 😃
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