Avocados are not only good as food, they can also be used as beauty products - It is known as the multi-purpose fruit - Avocados recipes

Multi-purpose fruit
HOUSEHOLD AND CULINARY TIPS
By AIDA AHMAD
sundaymetro@thestar.com.my


Indonesian-style avocado milkshake

Avocados are not only good as food, they can also be used as beauty products.

AVOCADOS are best enjoyed in the traditional way and its simplest form. Toss some in a fresh green salad dish and it will add more flavour and texture.
Indonesian-style avocado milkshake.

Unfortunately, say the experts, avocado is often not prepared the right way in this country. For example, says one chef, avocados should not be mashed to make guacamole. “Ideally, it should have some lumps. That is the authentic Mexican way of preparing it,” says chef Malcolm Hedges, owner and chef of Pedro’s Place in Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.

Hedges, who hails from the UK, says his favourite avocado dish is guacamole soup. “It is in the form of consomme, which is a cold soup that is not popular here in Malaysia. But it’s a great dish where I’m from. The avocado is not only a great ingredient in food. Women also use it in their beauty regimes, including as a facial mask.”

Native to South and Central America, and the Caribbean, avocado gets its name from ahuacatl, a Nahuatl (of the Nahua people of Central Mexico) word which means testicle. The shape of the fruit is explanation enough. Sir Hans Sloane, a British politician and collector of natural history, coined the name “avocado” in 1669 to give it a more pronounceable name.

It is also known as the Alligator Pear, reflecting its shape and the leather-like appearance of its skin.

Some consider the avocado an acquired taste, which is a bit ironic since it is not sweet, salty or sour but rather creamy and has the texture of an unripened banana.

Sliced, avocados are great in salads. Mashed, it can be spread on bread for a nice sandwich. People also like avocado in cold soups, like gazpacho, and in homemade protein shakes.

This writer particularly loves to include it in her salads, dips such as guacamole, or as a sandwich accompaniment. The most popular use for avocados is in guacamole, actually.

Avocados can even be used in smoothies and milkshakes. In the Philippines, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, and South India, avocados are frequently used for milkshakes and occasionally added to ice cream and other desserts.

In Brazil, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia, a dessert drink is made with sugar, milk or water and pureed avocado and topped off with chocolate syrup.

Avocado is also very popular in vegetarian cuisine where, due to its high fat content, it is used as a substitute for meats in sandwiches and salads.

Its high fat content, which makes it high in calories, actually gives for the fruit a bad press. A typical avocado contains 30g of fat, but 20 of these fat grams are health-promoting monounsaturated fats, especially oleic acid, which can help to lower cholesterol.

Phytonutrients in Hass avocados, the most popular among the more than 500 varieties of avocados grown worldwide, are beneficial in preventing heart disease. Furthermore, they are a good source of vitamin K, dietary fibre, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate and copper.

Avocados are also a good source of potassium, with each fruit containing a higher count of the mineral than a medium banana.

In Malaysia, avocados, which were introduced here by the British in the late 1800s, are priced between RM3.50 and RM5. These are mainly imported from Australia, South Africa and the United States.

Cucumber and Avocado Salad

• 2 cucumbers, diced
• 6g salt
• 85g red onions, diced
• 1 small red capsicum, diced
• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 10g chopped fresh cliantro
• 10g white sugar
• Half a teaspoon curry powder
• 4 dashes Tabasco sauce
• 2 avocados, peeled, pitted and diced

Place the cucumber slices into a colander, set in the sink and sprinkle with salt. Set aside and allow to drip.

In a salad bowl, mix together the red onion, red capsicum, lime zest and juice, cilantro, sugar, curry powder and hot pepper sauce until thoroughly combined and the sugar has dissolved.

Drain the cucumber slices and pat dry with paper towels. Stir the cucumbers into the salad. Gently toss the avocados with the salad and serve immediately.

Avocado Prawns

• 2 avocados, halved and pits removed
• Half a lemon, zested
• Half a lemon, juiced
• 2g white sugar
• 4g chopped Italian flat-leafed
• parsley
• 20ml olive oil
• One clove chopped garlic
• 225g prawns, peeled and deveined
• 6g salt
• Ground black pepper to taste

Mash the avocado, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and parsley together in a bowl. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Saute the garlic in the hot oil until slightly browned; about 5 minutes.

Add the prawns and increase heat to medium. Season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir the prawns over medium heat until their colour begins to change.

Reduce heat to low, stir the avocado mixture into the prawns and cook. Garnish with black pepper and serve.

Guacamole

• 2 ripe avocados
• Half a red onion
• 1-2 serrano chillies, stems and seeds removed
• 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice
• Half a teaspoon salt
• Dash of black pepper
• Half a tomato, seeds removed

Remove skin and place avocados in blender with the other ingredients apart from tomato, which should only be added before serving.

Blend to a coarse consistency.

Place in serving dish, cover with cling film and refrigerate before serving.

Serve with nachos or use as a dressing for tacos and burritos.

■ Recipes courtesy of Pedro’s Place, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur

When choosing a ripe fruit, hold it in the palm of your hand and squeeze. A ripe avocado will yield to gentle pressure.

Once peeled, the flesh turns brown quickly after exposure to air. To prevent this, squeeze lime or lemon juice on it.

A firm avocado will ripen in a paper bag or in a fruit basket at room temperature within a few days. As the fruit ripens, the skin will turn darker. Avocados should not be refrigerated until they are ripe. Once ripe, they can be kept refrigerated for up to a week.

Avocados are also useful ingredients in home remedies such as a facial mask, hair conditioner and sunscreen lotion.

Making a face mask is very simple. Just mash half an avocado and add a teaspoon of honey to make a creamy texture. Massage over face and neck and leave for 15 minutes and then gently rinse off with warm water. I’ve tried this and found that it makes my skin more supple.

For hair conditioner, just mash a small avocado and an egg yolk into a mixture. Apply on hair and leave for 10 minutes, then wash off as usual. Hair looks more shiny after this.

Lastly, people with sensitive skin can use avocados to soothe their skin after being under the sun.

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