It seems foolish to do very much to a ripe avocado. That's why we've advised layering it on toast with only scant dressing; scattering thick slices on a salad or BLT; leaving creamy, unbroken lumps in guacamole; and eating it plain with a spoon. All of these are Food52-approved uses of nature's butter, because they don't mess with a good thing.
So everything about this recipe from Indian cookbook author Julie Sahni feels, at first, a little dicey — for one thing, you're going to cook a perfectly good avocado — but just a little. And you'll season it not with restraint, but at a full clamor: Chiles, cilantro, onions, and lime will feel familiar; less so the mustard seeds and curry leaves and seven different spices (assuming you go all the way and make Sahni's suggested master curry blend, which I suggest you do).
But rather than muting or drowning out avocado's subtleties, these bold strokes frame and magnify them. Much like the guacamole we love most, a vibrant sauce gives avocado something to play against, while keeping it intact and fully present, not at risk of losing itself in the din.
You'll chop your avocado in big pieces; then, on the same board, gently blend in a few other fresh ingredients — minced chiles, cilantro, curry leaves and lime — in the efficient manner of a knife pesto.
Next you’ll sizzle mustard seeds, garlic, onion and curry powder in rapid succession to make a lit-up curry and allium paste, then finally turn off the heat, scrape in your knife guacamole, and stir it around.
In this simple division of ingredients, you're seasoning the avocado twice — first with the fresh, fiesty types, then the rich, meaty ones. The result, not surprisingly, is electric. Every element balances another: spice on cream, hot on cool, earthy and smoky on grassy and clean. The richness of the avocado, like a cooling yogurt raita or lassi, slakes the heat.
Even if you, like me, haven’t been fond of cooked avocado in the past, you’ll like this — because you’re not really cooking it, just letting everything latch on in a still-warm pan, fusing and melting it together at the edges. By the time you get the avocado back into a serving bowl, it will be at a very lively room temperature.
While you can use your own favorite curry powder, I stand behind Sahni's recipe, which will leave you with a bounty. We haven't had any trouble putting it to use.
I sprinkled it into an olive oil-fried bread panzanella — both in the lime dressing and with the toasting bread. Food52 Assistant Editor Sarah Jampel has roasted cauliflower with it, and substituted it into a sweet potato and tempeh curry — omitting all the spices that were called for, adding only cayenne for extra heat. We also talked about stirring it into yogurt. And of course, having a ready supply of spice blend puts curried avocado within everyday reach.
Sahni recommends serving the avocado as a side dish (I'd love it with a good tandoori chicken or a mess of vegetable dishes), but we treated it like a dip for naan. It would be an unexpected spread for other flatbreads or sandwiches, or brunch with eggs and crispy roasted potatoes. And, true to its nature, it too would be good eaten with a spoon.
Julie Sahni’s Curried Avocado with Garlic and Green Chiles
From "Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking" (William Morrow and Company, 1985)
Serves 4
Curried Avocado
1 large ripe avocado
Juice of 1 lime or 1 small lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
8 curry leaves (fresh or dry, optional)
Coarse salt, to taste
1 Tbsp. coconut oil, light sesame oil, or light vegetable oil
1 tsp. black mustard seeds
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. Curry Powder Master Recipe (see below)
2 to 4 hot green chilies, minced
Cut the avocado in half. Remove the seed and scoop out the pulp with a spoon. Chop the pulp roughly. Blend in the lime juice, cilantro, curry leaves and salt (we did this with the same knife, on the same board). Set aside.
Heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the mustard seeds. Keep a pot lid handy, as the seeds may spatter and fly all over. When the spattering stops, add the garlic and let sizzle for 5 seconds. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until limp (about 3 minutes). Add the curry powder and chiles, mix, and continue cooking for 1 more minute. Add the avocado mixture and turn off the heat. Stir to mix all the ingredients. Serve at room temperature.
Curry Powder Master Recipe:
1/2 cup coriander seeds
15 dry red chili pods (optional)
1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
15 to 20 curry leaves (fresh or dry, optional)
3 Tbsp. turmeric powder
Mix coriander, chili pods, cumin, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and peppercorns in the container of an electric blender or spice mill and grind the spices to a fine powder in several batches. Pour into a bowl and combine well.
If you are using fresh curry leaves, dry them in an ungreased frying pan over low heat until they have curled and gone stiff (about 5 to 10 minutes) — this will make them easier to grind to a powder. Grind them in the blender and then add them to the spice powder in the bowl.
Stir in the turmeric.
Transfer the curry powder to an airtight jar, cover tightly, and store in a cool place for up to three months.
This article originally appeared on Food52.com: http://food52.com/blog/11552-julie-sahni-s-curried-avocado-with-garlic-and-green-chiles
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