This week’s recipe is from Chef Tom Walton in partnership with Delcado avocados.
Avocado and prawn fried rice
A deliciously healthy spin on the classic fried rice. This dish is full of fresh ingredients and the rich flavour of avocado. The perfect crowd-pleasing meal you can easily whip up in no time.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or sesame oil
1 small brown onion (diced)
1 carrot (peeled, diced)
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
½ cup Chinese dried sausage or bacon (chopped)
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 green tiger prawns (peeled, shell left on)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
2 Delcado avocados (cut into wedges)
2 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine
4 cups cooked white rice
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup frozen peas (defrosted)
½ cup shallots (finely sliced)
1 large red chilli (seeds removed, julienned)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Baby herbs to serve (optional)
Prepare rice your prefered way.
Heat a wok or large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Add oil and stir fry the onion, carrot, garlic and Chinese sausage with a good pinch of salt for 2-3 minutes.
Preheat another smaller frying pan over a medium/high heat and add oil and cook the prawns, seasoning lightly. Set aside.
Add the Shaoxing wine to the wok pan and let evaporate then add the rice and stir fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the oyster and soy sauce along with the peas and half the shallots and cook for another minute.
To serve, spoon the fried rice onto a large platter, top with the cooked prawns, creamy Delcado avocados (a premium avocado that slices perfectly), remaining shallots, chilli, sesame seeds and baby herbs.
You can use any variety of avocado in this recipe.
New research has revealed that everyday mushrooms really are a natural superfood and can be as effective as vitamin D supplements, as well as supporting immune function. Mushrooms are rich in…
You can have too much of a good thing, but not when it comes to avocados or guacamole, if you ask me! Today, we’re celebrating the fact hass avocados are back in season by bringing you not one but three ways with guac; a trio of guac if you will. What’s not to like?!
Avocado-edamame guacamole with rice crisps
This twist on the classic guac is full of excellent Japanese flavours – think ginger and sesame, with the requisite heat in the form of togarashi, a type of Japanese chilli powder. If you don’t feel like making the rice crisps, you could serve with another store-bought cracker for dipping instead. Serves 4-6 as a snack.
1 cup frozen podded edamame, thawed
2 ripe Hass avocadoes, halved, stones removed, flesh scooped out and coarsely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 spring onion, thinly sliced, plus extra to serve
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Togarashi or chilli powder, to taste
Rice crisps
Vegetable oil, for shallow frying
6 small rice paper rounds (see note)
Togarashi, to season
To make the rice crisps, heat 3-4cm oil in a medium saucepan to 180°C – if you don’t have a thermometer, you can check the temperature by heating the oil until it begins to shimmer, then drop a small piece of rice paper into the oil. If it bubbles up and rises to the surface, the oil is ready. Shallow-fry rice paper rounds, one at a time, for 30 seconds until puffed and crisp. Remove with tongs and drain on a tray lined with paper towels. Season to taste with salt and togarashi. Cool completely and store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Blanch edamame in a saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute until just tender, drain and refresh under cold running water. Shake off any excess water, then combine in a bowl with remaining ingredients. Coarsely crush with a fork to mix and combine and season to taste with sea salt and togarashi. Transfer to a serving bowl, scatter with spring onion, sesame seeds and extra togarashi and serve with rice crisps.
Note: the rice paper used here is the same you’d use for Vietnamese rice paper rolls. You can find them in the Asian section of most supermarkets, and from specialist Asian grocers.
Classic Mexican guacamole
Who doesn’t love guac? The key to success is to allow the flavours to absorb a little, then adjust the seasoning – it may take more lime juice, chilli and salt than you think. Corn chips are the classic dipping accompaniment, but you could also serve with lengths of cucumber, carrot and celery to dip into it too. Serves 4-6.
2 ripe Hass avocados, halved, stones removed
1 small ripe tomato, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
Juice of 2 limes, or to taste
½ cup coarsely chopped coriander, plus extra to serve
Corn chips, to serve
Scoop the Hass avocado flesh into a large bowl, add tomato, onion, garlic, chilli, lime juice, 1 tsp sea salt and season with black pepper. Mash together roughly with a fork. Stand for 5 minutes for the flavours to develop and absorb, then check for seasoning again, adding extra chilli, lime juice or salt if required. Stir in coriander, scatter with extra coriander and serve with corn chips.
Minty Indian-style guacamole
Try this spicy, minty-fragrant take on guacamole for a change – the pappadams are perfect for scooping. We’ve shallow-fried the pappadams, but if you prefer you could cook them in the microwave. Serves 4-6.
3 ripe Hass avocados, halved, stones removed, flesh scooped out and coarsely chopped
½ cup Greek-style natural yoghurt
½ cup mint leaves, plus extra to serve
Juice of 2 limes, or to taste
1 long green chilli, coarsely chopped, plus extra thinly sliced, to serve
2 tsp ground cumin, plus extra to serve
Cumin-spiced pappadams
½ tsp each ground cumin and chilli powder
Vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
10 small pappadams
To make the cumin-spiced pappadums, combine cumin, chilli powder and 1 tsp salt in a small bowl. Heat 3-4cm oil in a medium saucepan to 180°C – if you don’t have a thermometer, you can check the temperature by heating the oil until it begins to shimmer, then drop a small piece of pappadam into the oil. If it bubbles up and rises to the surface, the oil is ready. Shallow-fry pappadams, one at a time, for 20-30 seconds until puffed and crisp. Remove with tongs and drain on a tray lined with paper towels. Season to taste with the cumin salt. Cool completely and store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Combine Hass avocado, yoghurt, mint, lime juice, chilli, cumin and 1 tsp sea salt in a blender or food processor and blend until silky smooth. Stand for 5 minutes for flavours to absorb and develop, then check seasoning and adjust with extra chilli, lime juice or salt if required. Blend again to combine. Serve topped with extra mint leaves, sliced chilli and a little of the seasoning mixture from the pappadams, with cumin-spiced pappadams for dipping and scooping.
AVO TIP TIME: For the perfect ripe Hass, gently press near the top of the fruit. If it’s ripe the avocado will give a little. If it’s not quite ready leave on the bench for 1-3 days. To keep a ripe avocado that bit longer, store the whole avocado in the fridge to maintain optimum ripeness for 2-3 days. A cut avocado can also be sprinkled with lemon or lime juice and sealed in cling/beeswax wrap, or a sealed container, to prevent the flesh from browning.
Chef and cookbook author Luke Hines is encouraging Aussies to embrace the arrival of the misunderstood Shepard avocado by learning how to use and choose them correctly! New YouGov Galaxy research shows 20% of Millennials struggled to identify when Shepard avocados are ripe – which means the avocado-loving generation could be leaving ripe ones on the supermarket shelf.
Ingredients
-2 Shepard avocados, skin and seed removed, and flesh cut into quarters (the skin of a Shepard avocado always stays green. To pick a ripe one, press gently near the top, if it gives a little, it is good to go). -1 teaspoon sea salt -Coconut oil, for deep frying -70 g (1⁄2 cup) arrowroot or tapioca flour, for dusting
TORTILLAS
-100 g (1 cup) almond meal
-125 g (1 cup) arrowroot or tapioca flour
-180 ml coconut milk
-1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
-125 ml (1⁄2 cup) filtered water
-pinch of ground turmeric
-2–3 tablespoons coconut oil
TEMPURA BATTER
-200 ml filtered water
-200 g arrowroot or tapioca flour
-1 teaspoon sea salt
AVOCADO CREAM
-2 Shepard avocados
-1⁄4 iceberg lettuce, shredded
-140 g (1⁄2 cup) Mayo
-juice of 1 lime
-1 handful of coriander leaves, roughly torn
SLAW
-1⁄4 red cabbage, shredded
-juice of 1 lemon or lime
-1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
-1 handful of coriander leaves, roughly torn or chopped, to garnish
Method
Prepare the slaw by combining the red cabbage, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar in a bowl and mix well to combine. Set aside in the dirge for the cabbage to soften into a zesty slaw. This is a good time to also prepare the avocado cream. Combine all listed ingredients in a food processor and blitz until well combined, smith and creamy, set aside in the fridge ready for serving.
To make the tortillas, blitz together all the ingredients except the coconut oil in a food processor or high-speed blender to form a smooth batter. Melt a little of the coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium–low heat. Pour in 60 ml (1⁄4 cup) of the batter and smooth out into a thin round shape with a spatula or spoon. Cook for 1–2 minutes until sturdy enough to flip, then cook for a further 1–2 minutes on the other side until cooked through, puffed up and golden. Transfer the cooked taco to a plate in the oven to keep warm. Repeat this process with the remaining batter, adding a little more oil each time, to make 8 tortillas.
To make the tempura batter, whisk all the ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth.
Half-fill a large, heavy-based saucepan with coconut oil and place over medium heat. Heat the oil to 180°C. (To test if the oil is hot enough, simply drop a small piece of bread into it – if it sizzles and bubbles, you’re good to go.)
Add the arrowroot flour to a shallow bowl. Working in batches of 4–5, lightly coat the avocado wedges first in the arrowroot or tapioca flour and then in the batter. Immediately lower the coated wedges, one at a time, into the hot oil and deep-fry for 4 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges and very crispy. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. Repeat with the remaining avocado wedges strips, being sure to bring the oil back up to heat between batches.
To serve, divide the tortillas among plates and top each with some red cabbage slaw, avocado tempura, avocado cream and fresh coriander. Season with salt and enjoy!
