The Recipe Room

In the US and parts of Mexico, record sales of avocados are recorded around the 5^th May.  The Cinco de Mayo festival commemorates the battle of Puebla between the Mexican army and French forces in 1862. It is celebrated most strongly in Mexico in the state of Puebla, and in some other regions to a lesser degree.  It is a national holiday in the US where the date has become a celebration of Mexican heritage and culture, more than a commemoration of the famous battle.  Authentic Mexican guacamole is made by the bucket-load around this time; portioned out on the streets at the festival, and made in countless homes and communities to share in celebration together.

Guacamole is said to have originated with the Aztecs as far back as the 16^th century.  The name is derived from an Aztec dialect and literally means ‘avocado sauce’.

Avocados are said to be one of the true super foods, containing a plethora of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.  So if you make up a whole load of authentic Mexican guacamole to celebrate this May, you’ll be filling your body with wonderful goodness at the same time. (Also try this avocado and mango salsa with corn chips.)

Serve with a nicely chilled Mexican beer; in the bottle, with a little lime juice squeezed in, and a segment of lime sitting at the top of the bottle.

What you need:

• 6 large ripe avocados
• 6 tomatoes, chopped as finely as you can
• 2 medium onions, finely sliced
• 8 mild chillies, finely sliced
• 2 bunches of fresh coriander, chopped
• 3 tbsp water
• The juice of a lime
• A generous pinch of salt to season

What to do:

1. Crush the coriander, tomatoes, chillies, onion and salt into a fine paste in a pestle and mortar.  If you don’t have one, the round end of a rolling pin in a small bowl works just as well.
2. Put a little water into the mixture.  Chop the lime in half and squeeze it over the bowl, catching any pips with the palm of your other hand as you squeeze.  Add the avocados, mashing everything together.  Stir in a little more water if you feel the guacamole is too thick.
3. Serve with nachos to dip.

Less than 30 minutes to prepare, no cooking required

Makes 8 portions

Tags: Authentic Mexican Guacamole, avocados, chillies, Cinco de Mayo, coriander, lime juice, Mexican food, onions, seasonal food, tomatoes

This entry was posted on Friday, 4 May, 2012 at 2:45 pm by Toni Simpson and is filed under Less than 30 minutes, Side dishes, Starters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the feed RSS 2.0. You can leave a comment, or make a trackback from your own blog.