After a 3-month hiatus, I am back to the blogosphere with plenty of good wishes for a belated but very Happy & refreshing 2012 to all. I hope the year has been good so far and you are looking forward to the rest of the year.
In the beginning of the year, a friend said that 2012 is a year of change. I made fun of him then, but I get a feeling – he is going to be right.
For me, 2012 kicked off in a memorable way. V started school this year. Play school – but a school nevertheless. He was excited about going to school and that was a good sign. I really didn’t expect him to be shy. I was more worried about the other kids as my little one can be too friendly at times and this goes beyond the social norms of what is acceptable as friendly. How do you teach your little ones to behave in the most “adult” like ways. Shake hands (don’t hug someone you just met 5 minutes ago… because that’s socially frowned upon). At the same time, we hug our kids at every opportunity we get. I tell him not to give instructions to other kids (the poor guy is just doing what he is told) because we should let other people be & honestly because it’s not what is expected of a kid his age. Other kids have their own parents to instruct them! Ironical, isn’t it?
I often wonder about the true meaning of the word ‘parenting’. I wish it were as simple as providing the best environment for our kids to turn out to be the smartest in every sphere of life – it is not. Is it us trying to be good parents or is it our kids teaching us how to be good parents – instinctively through their innocence? They inspire us to introspect. They make us want to be a better person – someone they will feel proud to have as their Parent.
It goes beyond the relationship shared between our children and us. It is also a constant reminder of our parents’ journey to get us to where we are today…
Leaving you with that thought and looking forward to your views, it’s time to talk about the refreshing Avocado chutney.
This one doesn’t have a very long history. When we were growing up in India, Avocado was something I’d never seen or heard of. However, I am told that it is readily available now, at least in the metros. This version of the chutney originated in my big sis’ home in Vancouver & it’s traveled a long way since. It’s been shared with friends and has become a part of their daily meals as well.
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Serves: 4-5
Ingredients:
Avocado: 2 (approx 300 gms)
Onion: ½ medium sized finely chopped
Ginger: 1 tsp (optional)
Garlic: 1/2 tsp (optional)
Green chillies: 2-3 finely chopped
Coriander leaves: 2 heaped tbsp chopped
Lime juice: 1 ½ tbsp
Roasted cumin powder: ½ tsp
Salt: to taste
Mustard oil: 1 tsp (can be replaced with Olive oil)
How I did it:
When you buy avocado from the market, you will most likely need to leave it outside the fridge for 2-3 days to ripen. This ensures that the avocado is soft and easy to mash. You can feel the softness by pressing on the outside. Once it is ripe, store it in the fridge. As a word of caution, do not leave it out for too long !
Now cut the avocado from the middle, as shown in the picture. Pull out the halves by twisting the 2 halves in opposite direction. Next, scoop the avocado out from the skin using a spoon. If the avocado is ripe, it will come off quite clean.
Using the back of a fork, mash the avocado in a bowl. I have used a blender to do this job but I prefer using the fork because the pulp is so soft that blending in makes it into a paste. I like its buttery and nutty texture and using a fork preserves that texture.
Now add the chopped onions, ginger, garlic, chillies, coriander leaves, roasted cumin powder and salt.
Finish it with lime juice and a drizzle of mustard oil for that extra zing! Mix all the ingredients with a spoon. Adjust the seasoning as per your taste.
Notes:
- Avocado tends to brown very quickly and lime juice helps to maintain it’s vibrant color. Prepare this dish closer to the time when you want to eat it or the avocado may turn brown.
- I like the taste of raw ginger and garlic in the above proportions. If you do not like the taste of raw ginger or garlic, you can skip it or alter the proportions.
- If you do not like the flavor of mustard oil, use olive oil instead. I used olive oil for my little one when he was younger. Now he’s gotten used to the flavor of mustard oil too 😉
Enjoy it as a side with any meal!
looks oh-so-good. i wish avocados weren’t so darn expensive here, otherwise, i’d eat them like this all the time.
great recipe!
Thank you:-)
Absolutely beautiful — both your thoughts on parenting and the chutney!
As a parent of two amazing souls (9 and 12) and an avocado lover, I can tell you I LOVED this post. I often think about the lessons I learned from my parents — both the good and the not-so-good — and wonder what my children will reflect on about me and my parenting skills when they are older.
It has been an eye opener to me, this parenting “thing”: At first, I thought my job was to remove all obstacles to give them the best life possible. Now I’ve come to think my job is to help them navigate their obstacles (including failures) to provide themselves the best future possible. Quite the challenge…
Thanks for sharing this — thoughts and recipe. Love ’em all!
Thanks Mikalee:-) I am very happy that you like this space. And you’ve just echoed my thoughts re: parenting…
Yumm, sounds delicious.
🙂 Thank you for stopping by.
Wow, looks and sounds delicious! And congrats on Freshly Pressed!
Hugs,
kathy
Thank you very much Kathy:-) I didn’t even realize my post got freshly pressed until I saw your comment!:-)
Reblogged this on California Heritage.
Thanks:)
OH It’s so beautiful and looks so yummy! Thank You for the recipe I would to try this. :+)
Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts on the post. Do let me know how it turns out when you try it.. 🙂
!Delicioso! Bellas fotos.
thank you:)
Love avocados!
me too! Can’t believe I was unaware of this green beauty in my growing up years !:) we didn’t get them in India then where I was growing up..
Looks amazing. But how is this different than guacamole?
Thank you:) As I said, you didn’t get Avocados in India where I was growing up. You can say this is an Indian take on guacamole with all the mustard oil (which has a very strong flavor), roasted cumin powder and no tomatoes. The taste is different from guacamole mainly due to these ingredients.
Looks delicious! Great blog!
thank you for stopping by:)
Isn’t it an odd thing, sending your little ones out into the world? Sometimes I hear myself saying out loud the social norms that I want my kids to conform to and suddenly think, why? It’s a good opportunity to reflect on our values, I guess. So in the end I do occasionally tell my kids not to boss everyone around, but I don’t tell them not to hug people they just met (unless they seem like they don’t want to be hugged!). I feel like children often intuitively do things that, if we all did them, might make the world a little more joyful. 🙂
I really agree with you on the issue of the ‘hug’. I believe TOO that some of the things children do intuitively are actually the normal things we all ought to do to make the world a better place. Thanks for sharing that thought. I love Avocado too. Great recipe.
@ emmycooks & @penny2014 : Absolutely!!:-) It’s such a learning process for us and the kids.. I too try to let him be as much as possible.. But I guess it varies from situation to situation – and upon how others / other parents perceive your child’s behavior..
Reblogged this on missmagenta82.
thank you
What a great way to use Avocado 🙂
thanks 🙂
Sounds better than guacamole! This would be great as a spread for a sandwich too
Great idea! haven’t tried it like that yet. Thanks 🙂
No offence my friend ..the post is lovely, but I personally hate avocados. And to be honest, I shouldn’t even comment here, but I don’t know why I just loved the pics 🙂 Nice clicks..Cheers
Please check out my latest post – http://raajtram.com/2012/03/12/my-dad-says/
And even my new PhotoBlog – http://raajclicks.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/oh-i-love-my-laptop/
thank you for liking the pictures! No offence taken.
Oooooh! I am new to avocado too, having grown up in India. And I have grown to love them. This looks delish!!! Must try! I am also going to follow you for more recipes:)!
thank you very much for liking my blog 🙂
Reblogged this on desz01 and commented:
I love ANYTHING Avocados! This recipe looks great. Thanks for the post.
thank you 🙂
This sounds fantastic. I want to try it sometime 🙂
thanks Samantha 🙂
Hi,
Great recipe & photos – will give this a go!
Glad you liked it 🙂 thank you..
I like green avocados. I do.
And I would eat them with an onion.
And I would eat them with green chiles.
And I will eat them in the some garlic.
And in ginger. And on a leaf or lime.
And with garlic. And with mustard.
Say! I will eat them anyway!
Nice! 🙂
I love avocados so much. Thank you so sharing this. Connie
http://7thandvine.wordpress.com/
thank you 🙂
Yeah! In Mexico minus the ginger we called Guacamole!
yeap, great guacamole recipe – I’d omit the ginger too to be honest. I was intrigued by the mention of ‘chutney’ along with a picture of vibrant green mushed avocados. I thought it’d be a cooked recipe with vinegar and sugar and am glad the avos were not ruined by being boiled or something.
thanks for visiting & leaving your comments 🙂 An Indian version of guacamole ? 🙂 with the addition of roasted cumin powder and mustard oil.
O.o -drollsssssss— LOL!
haha! 🙂
Looks delicious… Can’t wait to make some..
Great! Give it a try & let me know how it turns out:-) thanks for visiting.
Yum! this recipe sounds divine. I love mushing up avocado’s to make salsa and guacamole, so this might be my next version of an avocado dip. Thank you for sharing.
give it a go & let me know how it turns out.. thank you 🙂
Interesting post. Thanks for sharing. Greetings from Italy.
Greetings! Thank you for visiting 🙂
This is a great alternative to guacamole. I will give it a try, thanks.
let me know how it turns out & thank you for visiting 🙂
I love avocados and guacamole, but this might be a very interesting diversion from guacamole. And FYI, a study was done that proved acids do NOT prevent avocados from browning once they’re cut. The only thing that works, apparently, is keeping air away, and that can be done by putting clear cling wrap over the top of the avocado (or avocado mixture) and pressing it into the avocado so no air gets to it. All other methods are simply old wives’ tales.
Thanks Julee for visiting and the additional information! 🙂
Now I am wondering how the left over chutney stayed green 24 hours later in a small bowl. uncovered. refrigerated.
That’s weird! I would think it would have been almost black on top by then! I read about some tests somebody did with lemon/lime and vinegar, and nothing worked except for cling-wrap on top which kept the air out. So who knows? Anyway, all that stuff makes it taste good!
I love me some avocado!
thank you for stopping by.
Reblogged this on Raw Hygeia and commented:
Oh this looks so delicious!!!! I love avocado and I definitely have to try this recipe.
Thank you for the wonderful comments.
Yummy! Looks delicious!
@healthybellyyellie: thanks for visiting!:)
looks very yummy
thanks for dropping by:)
Looks wonderful! I have fallen in love with avocado all over again! Can’t wait to give this recipe a go! 🙂
do try it out and let me know how it turned out. thanks for visiting:)
Your chutney looks wonderful!
@Amber: Thank you:)
I love making guacamole with avocados. I’m not too sure what chutney is, but since you posted the recipe, I will definately try it!
Chutney is a side dish, like a relish.. the term chutney is used in India and other South Asian countries to refer to a dip / side dish / relish and can be made with anything – tomatoes, corriander, mint, mango, being the common ones.. Let me know how it turns out if you try it:)
The ginger is an interesting addition. I will have to try it soon. What do you eat your avocado chutney with?
It’s usually a part of a bigger meal – like rice and a curry or Roti (Indian bread) and curry / dal. thanks for visiting:)
YUMBO 🙂
@leahgraceobrien: thank you:)
That looks deliciousl
@Leguanite: thank you for visiting:)
i love avocado and in fact, i have an avocado tree in my garden which we had planted not too long ago, so with lots of luck maybe they will bear fruits in 3yrs time.. your recipe looks yummy and delicious, need to try it.. thanks for sharing.
All the best 🙂 Thanks for visiting ! Glad you like the recipe:)
I see avocados at the local vendors often but I’ve never been sure of how to use them. But this has got me going. Simple, wonderful recipe. Thanks.
Yes, I was like that until a few years ago! Go ahead and try it out ..and I am sure you’ll love these green beauties 🙂
wah mantap bener makan ni!!!
jadi laper,,! hhehe
oya jngan lupa kunjungi website kami di http://www.unsri.ac.id
This looks great. I like just about anything with avocados, especially anything with avocados, ginger, garlic and lime.
I also liked what you had to say about the journey of parenting.
thank you Nicole 🙂
Oh! I love this! I’ve turned vegan and have been trying different recipes of veggies and fruits. Thanks for sharing. I would love to share this away!
Hi Musa, thanks for visiting my blog & liking it:)
love so much avocado…nice post,happy blogging
http://batu-mustika.indonetwork.co.id/benda-pusaka
thanks
wow your pics look great! what camera are you using? 🙂
thanks:-) Using a Canon 40D.
oh! which lens? I just got a body for 60D!
Congratulations!:-) I have a 18-200.. though it’s not a super lens, it’s a decent all-purpose lens to have.
This recipe is just wonderful .. I found an avocado in the fridge today and I’ll try this recipe tomorrow! Must pick up a lime, though! Lovely blog .. I’ll visit for more recipes.
🙂
Great! thanks..Hope you’ll find some interesting recipes in this space:)
Ugh this looks divine, so well presented too, bravo!
thank you, thank you!:-)
Fantastic idea , just when I was wondering how to incorporate Avocado.
Happy you like it:-)
Yummy…
thank you for dropping by:-)
Here in Sri Lanka we too have wonderful avos and the ginger and lime will be most appropriate here – as opposed to the Mexican version:)
By the way, if you pop the seed in the centre of the leftovers in the bowl, and cover it with cling film, it’ll keep well in the fridge – that is, if there ARE any leftovers:)
Great tip, thanks:-) In fact, there was a little bit left over and we ate it 24 hrs later. It was still vibrant green almost like the previous day. I think it was due to the lime. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts on the recipe.
That really looks delicious! Sounds great and congrats on getting freshly pressed!
thank you for visiting:-) Hope you’ll find more interesting recipes in the months to come, here in this space.
That looks deliciousl
thanks for dropping by! 🙂
AHHHHH YUM!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for reading:)
feel the taste with sweet images…
thank you! glad u like it:)
Deeeeelish. Looks great and all the types of ingredients that I love. I will definitely by trying this one. Thanks for posting.
great!:) gotta check out your blog – love the name! thanks for stopping by:)
Reblogged this on Jaime Loves Food and commented:
#Freshstrawberrylemonade #Tilapiafishtacos with #Cabbage & #Freshavocadochutney what’s on your palate tonight?
thanks a lot for visiting:)
Yummy! So similar to guacamole.
yes, i am sure it is. we didn’t have avocados in india when we were growing up. it’s a very recent phenomenon. you could say it’s an indian take on guacamole.:)
Looks delicious. I need to give this a try!
thanks! let me know how it goes:)
^ Receita fantastica !!!! (Brasil)
Obrigada 🙂
Should I throw another country into the mix and put this on a lettuce leaf with some Korean bbq?
Great idea I’d say! 🙂
Nice post! Love the vibrant colours, the green is appropriate as it’s coming up to St. Patrick’s Day!
thanks for the nice comments:)
Absolutely delicious! Avocado goes great with everything. Would love share an avocado dip with a girl during this time of year lol. Nothing like fresh avocados:)
good luck:) thanks for stopping by!
That looks spectacular!
thank you so much!:)
I just ate, but I’m hungry again just looking at your post. 😀 Totally going to try this recipe. Thank you for sharing! And congrats on getting on Freshly Pressed 🙂 ❤
thank you!:) look fwd to hearing about how it turned out for you.
Yum! This looks so amazing! I love all the spices you put in it – and mustard oil?!! Gotta try that!
Thanks for stopping by:) Mustard oil has a strong pungent flavor. It takes a some getting used to if you’ve never had it before, but once you’ve gone past that, you’ll find it irresistible!
I love avocado and I make it a few ways. Your way is almost identicle to the way I make it. I guess we have great taste! No pun intended.
val
http:valentinedefrancis.wordpress.com
thank you! great, you’ll hopefully find other recipes here which you can relate to. 🙂
This looks so good! You have inspired me to do more with my avocados than add slices to my turkey sandwich. I have never seen mustard oil in the stores- is it easy to find? Is there a replacement ingredient you could add instead?
Thanks:) Mustard oil can be found in indian stores if there are any in whichever part of the world you live in. Alternatively, you could use some olive oil. Though I like the zing that mustard oil gives to this dish:)
Yeah, I can imagine that would be a nice addition to the ordinary recipe!
Yum…again yum! Stop by and say hi 🙂
Hi Christina, thanks for visiting:)
Avocados and chutney; maybe opposites do attract. This would’ve given me much hope if it were published prior to Valentine’s day…Ah well.
-Steven
———————————–
Check out this battle of wills: Foodie vs Food Allergy
http://dashtodine.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/kyo-korean-bbq-sushi-house-2-2993-granville-st-vancouver-british-columbia-canada-604-739-8868/
hmm.. had i known it would have given someone hope in any way, would’ve posted it a month earlier 🙂 thanks for visiting.
I was excited about the chutney recipe, but the intro definitely was what made this post so great!
thanks Shannon for reading and liking my thoughts & recipe 🙂
This looks so good! I’ll have to try it sometime 🙂
Give it a go! 🙂 thanks for stopping by.
This is great! I love avocados!
thanks for visiting:)
Nice blog, great recipe, lovely pictures. Looking forward to more. Thanks
thank you. Hope to keep this space interesting:)
Reblogged this on outfrominside and commented:
can’t wait to try this out!
thank you for visiting & reblogging this 🙂 Glad you like it.
Okay, I actually tried this. I thought at first that the combination of cumin and avocado wouldn’t work so well but it DID. It was delicious, thanks so much!!!!!
thank you!!!:-) I am so happy you liked it and told me about it:) Thank you for visiting.
Reblogged this on Roads are made by Traveling and commented:
Need to something about all those avocados in the fridge!
I am glad you liked it:) Thanks for stopping by.
I never thought to put ginger or roasted cumin powder with avocado! This looks absolutely wonderful. I am slightly obsessed with avocados and upon seeing that photograph on the front page, well…
Thank you so much for sharing, I cannot wait to make this!!! 🙂
hope you get your hands on some ripe avocados soon 🙂 thanks for visiting!
Looks delicious !!
thank you for leaving a comment & visiting:)
Reblogged this on Inspiredweightloss and commented:
I love avocados!
thanks 🙂 me too!
This looks great! We’ve got about ten really rips avocados on our kitchen table, and I’ve been wondering what to do with them. Looks like avocado chutney is on the menu tonight 🙂
thank u! let me know how it turned out..:)
That looks and sounds delicious!!!! I can’t wait to have a fresh avocado…
Thanks! Hope you get your hands on one and try it out 🙂
nice, clean photos.
Thanks for visiting and your comment:)
Love avocados any time of the year- anything from just sliced on a sandwiched to mixed up with variety of ingredients– the flavors in this one sound interesting…will adjusting the amounts, as you say, will it change the total flavor a great deal- or just make it more subtle??? Also, great pics- I am thinking I should not have read this just before lunch- soooo hungry now!! 🙂
Reblogged this on dawnmcnary and commented:
I plan to try this recipe this weekend- check it out, but NOt before lunch- the photos are so appetizing you will not be able to wait for your lunch break!!
Thank you for visiting:)
If you change the amounts, I would suggest do that only for the qty of ginger and garlic because not everyone likes ginger and garlic. I love it so I don’t mind getting bits here and there. Altering the other ingredients may make the dish a little too subtle.
Thanks! will let you know how it turns out.
My mom used to do this! So delish 🙂
awesome:) thank you for reading.
This looks DELICIOUS! and Healthy! Check out my healthy food blog 🙂 sweetlifegonehealthy.wordpress.com/
Hi Yael, Thanks:) I’ll check out your blog for some healthy recipes.. always on the look out for something new to try.
My first thought was, mmm…guacamole – but I already have a recipe. Then I saw it was a chutney instead, which gives me the perfect excuse to try this out. I do love me some avocado! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Mark. Do try it out and let me know how it turns out:)
It looks sooo good. Very clear instructions. Thank-you
thank you for the positive feedback:)
yummy! I just love avacado’s on a chip or by the spoonful. conngrats on being FP!
thank you very much:)
Thanks for sharing the recipe. Always wanted to know how to make it.
you’re most welcome. thank you for visiting:)
Reblogged this on Yeah, Na, Yeah and commented:
Just came across this blog. The Avacado Chutney is something I will be making this weekend, it looks so great. I make a similar dip with corriander, lemon juice, tomatoes (finely chopped) and garlic but never with the ginger and cumin powder. Yummo!
Hope you like what you eat:) Would love to know how it goes..
I didnt get a chance to make it last weekend but I bought a couple of Avocados today and hopefully by next weekend they will be ripe enough to use. We are on the end of our Avocado season here in Australia. I am an all year round avo lover!!
Great idea. I think it would go very well with some nice vegetable curry.
absolutely! I make it as a side whenever we have ripe avocados at home 🙂
Reblogged this on wholisticme and commented:
Looks so jummy!
thanks a lot
I saw this pic and could taste it…..LITERALLY!
Reblogged this on Socially Fit and commented:
This is going to be on my plate one day this week!
awesome! let me know how it goes 🙂 thanks for visiting.
This recipe is wonderful. Thank you!
thank you for visiting:)
I’ll be back. You’re recipes are within the guidelines of my health program. Thank YOU again.
Well done! Glad to see you follow your passions and inspire others too. Keep it up with your mouth-watering food & lovely conversations! 🙂
Cheers!
thanks lah 🙂
Not sure how I found you (magic, of course), but so stoked I did!
I like magic 🙂
interesting recipe. it looks yummy!
🙂 Thank you!
Try adding some pomegranate… You’ll be hooked!
I love avocados! Recipe looks delicious, thanks for posting ^.^~