Fermented Lychee Soda using a Ginger Bug

This is a delicious seasonal fermented beverage that uses lacto-fermentation to create a sweet and tart carbonated beverage. In this recipe you are making a ginger bug to inoculate your lychee mix – think of the ginger bug like a sourdough starter. Don’t be alarmed by the amount of sugar in this recipe – the yeasts and bacteria will consume it all and turn it into gut loving lactic acid!

Makes 2 litres

Ingredients:

Ginger bug:

  • 14 tablespoons of caster sugar
  • 14 tablespoons grated ginger 
Lychee soda:
  • 500 g lychees (yields approx. 2 cups of lychee pulp)
  • ½ cup caster sugar

Method:

To make the ginger bug:

Fill a 500ml jar with 300ml water. Add two tablespoons of freshly grated ginger and two tablespoons of caster sugar. Screw the lid on jar and shake vigorously. Every day feed another two tablespoons of both grated ginger and sugar to your bug.

How quickly your ginger bug ferments will be dependant on the weather. The warmer the weather, the quicker your ginger bug will ferment. It should take between three to seven days to start bubbling. You're looking for bubbles similar to a sparkling mineral water, once you can see these bubbles, stop feeding your bug!

Once your ginger bug is bubbly, it is ready to use. Strain the ginger liquid into a clean 2 litre vessel (eg. jar, plastic container, water jug or crock) and set aside.

Don't throw away the ginger, you can reuse it to start a new bug.

To make Lychee soda: 

Peel and de-seed lychees and blend into a smooth pulp. Add pulp and the half cup of sugar to the 2 litre vessel and top with 1.5 litres water. 

Cover with a clean piece of muslin or a microfibre cloth such as Chux and secure with a rubber band or a piece of string. Stir three times a day for three days or until bubbly. The bubbles indicate that your soda has fermented.    

Next strain the fermented soda and discard (or eat!) the pulp. Pour into two clean 1-litre glass or plastic bottles, leaving a 2cm gap at the top. Put lids on and leave at room temperature for two days so the carbon can build up and make your soda fizzy. Refrigerate overnight before serving. 

Your soda will last for up to five days in the fridge and you will never need to buy Schweppes again!!