I love Australia. I’ve been staying here with an aunt and uncle and it’s been wonderful chatting about people I vaguely remember in my childhood visiting relatives in Penang and also finally drawing up the giant family tree where some of the complex interconnections are now more clear in my mind.
First draft of the family tree but after this there were a ton more changes after Aunt J checked up with a distant cousin.
I always was kind of blurry about my mother’s side of the family as Mum passed away when I was 12 and I didn’t really keep up with the relatives in that branch of the family. And it was quite funny discovering that that side of the family was considered Peranakan (Straits-born Chinese that intermarried with locals) and there was a deep dark secret of an Indian or Arab rich businessman ancestor in the family mix some generations back. People have always asked me if I was Peranakan and because I didn’t know any better I had always replied that I wasn’t Peranakan as far as I knew but my stomach was! It is kind of satisfying to know that I wasn’t too far wrong.
The other great part about this break, apart from spending time with family was actually enjoying the local produce. I got to do my favourite activity, which is to skulk around supermarkets and also really enjoyed South Melbourne market as well.
Slightly taken aback by dried kangaroo products, but this was an organic pet food store!
My aunt has been great and she has been doing lots of cooking and I’ve been feeling a little useless and at a loose end. Nonetheless I managed chip in yesterday by making some stuffed avocados (3 avos for $5! At South Melbourne Market!) that were a quick and easy appetizer for dinner. When I travel I usually carry a teeny-tiny bottle of kewpie mayo with me (this bottle size is only available at Isetan supermarket). So I literally took some left over vegetables from the salad, mixed it with tuna and mayo and this made a great flavourful stuffing for the avocado.
There is no rocket science in this recipe, just a really fun and easy and almost brainless exercise in putting things together…much like this personal break where I’ve managed to do the minimum and enjoy a really fun and easy pace. I think this break was really what the doctor ordered!
Low Carb Stuffed Avocados
Ingredients
- 1 large avocado
- 1 small can of tuna (96g with liquids)
- 1/4 yellow bell pepper
- 1/4 red onion
- 1/2 Lebanese cucumber
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp hot cayenne pepper powder (optional)
- 1/4 cup Japanese mayonnaise
Method
- Chop the onion, bell peppers and cucumber (remove the seeds of the cucumber as this part of the cucumber is a little soggy).
- Drain the tuna carefully.
- Mix the tuna, chopped onion, bell peppers, cucumber, mayonnaise and the salt, pepper and cayenne pepper together. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Slice the avocado in half and discard the seed.
- With a spoon, carefully heap the tuna mix in the avocado cavity and form a little mound over its surface.
- Refrigerate if not serving immediately, and serve with a squeeze of lemon.
Still Feeling Peckish 