I LOVE guacamole; so before I launch into the long story, here is the short of it. Whenever I get a chance, I make it at home. It's so ridiculously simple to make, as you must know if you have made it.
It's one of the few things that I find really hard to shell out money for when I do take out for entertaining. I also can't, just can't do guacamole from the refrigerated section at the grocery store. So, if you feel like you are kindred spirit and the only thing that is stopping you is where to find the right avocados at the right price, then all you need to do is to google yourself a Mexican Grocery store close to you. If you are in Los Angles, I highly recommend Superior Grocers for avocados. And no, I have no connection to Superior Grocers. Only the wish to share resources I find helpful.
So as I was saying, I love guacamole and it's a relatively new found love. New found as in I REALLY noticed it, guacamole, in about 2003. I remember that evening vividly. It was at one of the "married student" apartments at UCLA's (University of California, Los Angeles) graduate student housing. I was living in one of those apartments myself when I was working on my PhD; we were visiting one of my fellow graduate student and her husband who also lived there and who had invited us for dinner.
Up until that that evening, I had no idea that the green mash I was served when I ordered a plate of enchiladas or tostada came from an avocado, or what an avocado looked like. You may wonder why but that is topic for another time.
At this point, what is relevant is that growing up in India, I did not encounter avocados.
I understand now that avocados can be common in the Indian South. At 16, when I came to Connecticut as a Rotary exchange student, I did not encounter avocados or guacamole. Not that I was aware of. At Bates College in Maine, I was so poor I could rarely afford the couple of dollars that were needed to pitch in for couple of slices of late night pizza as we took breaks from "banging out" last minute papers, or pulling all nighters for exams. Any kind of food, beyond the cherished "Commons", our cafeteria, was out of the question. When I came to Los Angeles, I didn't process an avocado in the way that I do now. Back then, all I knew is that there was a green mash that accompanied many Mexican Plates that I ordered at restaurants.
So when I saw Yvonne (that was my colleagues name) just go to town on avocados, mashing the fruit with a fork, and then sort of hand whipping it to make guacamole, I just fell in love. And, as I mentioned earlier, it's a new found love.
The only thing that I hate about guacamole is how expensive it is when you buy it at a restaurant; 4 oz, half a cup, is minimum 4 bucks on an average, if you are lucky. It can be as expensive at 7.99 at more upscale places. And, if you get caught in the midst of an avocado shortage, you may be paying as much for fake guacamole, with zucchini like squash or calabasitas being slipped in. Unless you are a true connoisseur it is almost impossible to tell.
Guacamole at stores, from the refrigerated section, seriously not good.
So as I said earlier, my go-to for awesome and inexpensive guacamole, where you are not paying 4.99 for ONE avocado, is to find a Mexican grocery store. You will be AMAZED at how inexpensive avocados are. 3 avocados for 99 cents? Sometimes 5? Yup. I'm a HUGE fan of Superior, a Mexican Grocery chain store, that is right down the street from us. That place NEVER fails me if I want a bag of kick ass corn tortilla chips and avocados to make Simply Guacamole 😍
INGREDIENTS:
2 ripe guacamole
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro
1/2 lime (juiced)
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
salt (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon chopped Thai chili (optional)
PROCESS:
Cut avocados and separate peel from flesh with whatever method you prefer. Bring it all to a bowl including the seed.
Begin with mashing the avocados with a fork.
Once all the pieces are well mashed, use the fork in a circular motion to whip the mashed avocados.
Add the chopped onions, lime juice, cumin powder, salt and chili (if using) and half the chopped cilantro. Mix.
Taste and adjust for salt. Make it spicier
Sprinkle and garnish with rest of the cilantro and serve.
Please email me at lovecookyoga@gmail.com if anything is unclear or if you have any questions. If you try this recipe and it works for you or made modifications, please leave a comment to let the community know.
Thanks!