Leading up into Cinco de Mayo, our local grocery stores have had quite a lot of deals on avocados. I stock up there if they look good. However, in the main, I prefer to buy them at the farmer’s market because they’re super fresh and I know the grower. I know I’m spoiled, but excellent avocados are a benefit of living in California. We have terrific ones nearly twelve months of the year.
Sometimes I just eat avocado with salt and pepper or condensed milk. I love to tuck some into banh mi and other sandwiches. My favorite guacamole is based on a Diana Kennedy recipe from long ago; see this newsletter for my best guacamole recipe. Other times, I give avocado a modern Indian treatment by turning it into a tangy, spicy, herby chutney.
I borrowed the idea from Neelam Batra’s The Indian Vegetarian (1994), a smart cookbook with recipes that work. It’s more or less guacamole but with ginger, garlic, green chile, cumin, and mint. With super rich avocados like Hass, the touch of yoghurt lightens things up and adds tang.
Use the mortar and pestle to make this (as well as guacamole). The pounding of the aromatics is just right for releasing the oils. When you're done, remove the pestle and serve in the mortar. Less clean up.
Eat this chutney as a snack with chips, pappadums or rice crackers. I suppose you go carb-free with sliced cucumber too. Line sandwich with it for a light spread. And, it’s terrific as a side to an Indian meal or grilled meats.
If you’re game, pair the chutney with hair-raising fiery Hmong salsa. I began to sweat a bit just thinking about that relish.
RECIPE
Avocado and Mint Chutney
Yields: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon chopped yellow or white onion
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- ½ inch fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 Thai or Serrano chile, chopped
- Salt
- 1 large ripe avocado, pitted and roughly chopped
- Lime juice
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves
- 2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped mint leaves
- 2 tablespoons plain whole fat or low-fat yoghurt
Instructions:
1. Use a mortar and pestle to pound the onion, garlic, ginger, chile and a pinch of salt into a coarse texture. You want the ingredients to shed their liquid. Add the avocado and a few good squeezes of lime juice. Lightly pound to mash and mix the ingredients together. Stir in the cumin, cilantro, mint and yoghurt.
2. Transfer to a serving bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the flavor before serving.
Related post: Fiery Hmong Chile and Tomato Salsa Recipe
