Kitchen Nomad Globe-Cooking Recipe #3 : Mixed Fruits in Lemongrass Syrup (Vietnam)

This is such a simple recipe (which you can see on the Kitchen Nomad website) but what makes it special is the syrup. The write-up on the Kitchen Nomad website says : "This exotic and refreshing fruit salad can be made with any combination of fruits - just go for a good balance of colour, flavour and texture. You can also flavour the syrup with ginger or aniseed stars rather than lemongrass if you prefer." I stuck with the original recipe though because I just happened to have exactly those ingredients in my fruit bowl that needed using up !

The only slightly unusual ingredient (and the only one from the Kitchen Nomad box) to be used this time is lemongrass. Now, I was convinced I didn't like lemongrass. No offence to my mother-in-law but the only time I've eaten it, it was in some Vietnamese soup that she'd made after their trip to Vietnam and Thailand and I found it woody and bitter. I was surprised to see that this lemongrass was soft, dry and grassy. I cut the two stalks that the recipe called for into two halves so that they'd fit in the saucepan and bashed them with a wooden spoon a bit to release the flavour. My fingers smelt beautifully lemony afterwards.

The syrup was so quick and simple to create and tasted wonderful. Sophie even said it seemed like it would work well as a remedy for a sore throat so I might have to try that this winter !

A lovely colourful mix of fresh mango, pineapple and banana and tinned lychees, waiting to be drizzled with that gorgeous syrup. This would be lovely with a scoop of coconut ice cream, but even without, it's the perfect light dessert for a summer's day.

Disclosure : I received a Kitchen Nomad box in order to write an honest review.

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Kitchen Nomad Globe-Cooking Recipe #2 : Bánh Xeo (crispy crepes) (Vietnam)

Kitchen Nomad Globe-Cooking Recipe #1 : Youvetsi (Greece)

Madhouse recipe : Naughty But Nice Fruity Bites