Dried longan, with its shriveled flesh, is sweet and, most importantly, convenient. You can just plop on your sofa and peel one open to eat without having to wash any fruit. That's how blessed you are. If you can't tell your grains apart and have no sense of practical living, you probably can't buy delicious and affordable dried longans. You'd suddenly feel the world is full of malice. So what if you don't know how to pick them!
Dried longan may not be as flashy as "noble" fruits like blueberries, but selecting good-quality, inexpensive dried longans proves how savvy you are, whether you're looking at them head-on or from the side. Picking delicious and good-looking dried longans mainly comes down to two things: first, the color of the shell, and second, the color of the flesh. Let me pass on my expert skills for picking dried longans to you. Catch!
If the shell is yellowish-brown, buy it!
If the shell of the dried longan is yellowish-brown, it means it's of relatively good quality. You should buy plump ones; don't accept ones that are too small or oddly shaped.
If the flesh is transparent and wrinkly, buy it!
Before buying, chat with the shopkeeper or owner and ask to try one first. If they seem reliable and trustworthy, you should buy from them. Be sure to choose the type where the longan flesh is a translucent brown, looks somewhat glossy, and is wrinkled—that's the good stuff.