Guacamole rocks (what you do with squishy avocados)

So it feels like I have been on this road trip for the longest time – we left before Christmas and got back just the day before. It doesn’t help that I am pretty jet-lagged and I keep waking up at 3 in the morning, which is why I’m blogging in the wee hours of the day.

So yes, the holiday was wonderful – I did cook a lot more than I expected which I was happy about as I do like pottering in the kitchen. The challenging thing was making the food tasty enough with just salt, pepper and 1 bottle of Moroccan spices! It really made my day when kid#2 said that one of the highlights of the trip were the meals we made along the way. I think the wonderful thing about NZ was the produce. I was going stir-crazy over heads of broccoli, cauliflower or bags of parsnips going for just $2-3 each. It surprised me however that fresh herbs cost twice as much as in Singapore and mushrooms and avocados about 1 1/2 times as much. And I think our best meals were eaten outdoors with the mountains as our backdrop.

We spent a day in Melbourne on our way back from Christchurch to Singapore and of course we paid homage to the iconic Victoria market. I came away with a whole bunch of sausages and prosciutto as well as 2 giant avocados and fennel bulbs. Although I carefully cushioned the avocados with my clothes in my luggage, they still got kind of squishy and dented anyway, which was why I ended up making guacamole, which in essence is smashed avocado after all!

Vic Market Christmas decorations

Melbourne graffiti – tongue in cheek as this was outside a tapas bar.

This recipe was made based on whatever ingredients I had in the fridge. I really wish I had fresh coriander but I guess the guac still rocked without it. And it was bliss to come home and have full access to my spice rack filled with over 30 types of herbs and spices!

Guacamole

Servings: 8
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients

2 large or 3 regular sized avocados
Lime juice from 5-6 squeezed calamansi limes
2 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1 1/2 tbsp diced jalapeños
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt

Method

Cut the avocados in half and scoop out the flesh. Put into a large mixing bowl with the lime juice and mash with a potato masher or a fork.
Add the tomatoes, jalapeños, onions, salt and spices and mix well. Adjust the seasonings to your own preference (cayenne pepper can be increased if you want it more spicy).
Cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate for about an hour or so to allow the flavors to develop. Serve with vegetable sticks or on top on anything you want (I had it over breakfast ham and eggs!)