Lychees & melon with lemon grass syrup

It's traditional to serve fresh fruit at the end of a Chinese meal, and this sweetly perfumed tropical fruit salad is something special.

• 250ml (1 cup) water
• 110g (1/2 cup) white sugar
• 2 lemon grass stems, pale section only, halved lengthways, bruised
• 18 lychees, peeled
• 1/4 ripe rockmelon, deseeded, peeled, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 ripe honeydew melon, deseeded, peeled, coarsely chopped
• Good-quality vanilla ice-cream, to serve

Energy 590kJ	Fat saturated g
Fat Total 0.50g	Carbohydrate sugars g
Carbohydrate Total 34.00g	Dietary Fibre 2.50g
Protein 1.50g	Cholesterol mg
Sodium mg

All nutrition values are per serve.

1. Step 1

   Place the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 3-5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Add the lemon grass and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes or until syrup thickens slightly. Set aside for 1 hour to cool.

2. Step 2

   Meanwhile, combine the lychees, rockmelon and honeydew melon in a bowl.

3. Step 3

   Remove the lemon grass from the syrup and discard. Divide the lychee mixture among serving bowls. Pour over the syrup. Serve immediately with ice-cream.

This recipe requires 1 hour cooling time. If fresh lychees are unavailable, use 1 x 565g can lychees in syrup, instead. Drain the lychees, reserving the syrup. Replace the sugar and water in step 1 with the reserved syrup from the can. Time plan tip: Prepare this recipe to the end of step 1 up to 1 day ahead. Store the syrup in an airtight container in the fridge. Continue to the end of step 2, 2 hours ahead. Cover the lychee mixture with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Continue from step 3 just before serving.