And for good reason. Rarely does avocado make it onto an Indian menu or plate. I can only site one time we actually ordered it from an Indian restaurant in Washington, D.C. And that was because we were so shocked to see it there as a chaat with banana and tamarind chutney. It was delicious.
Just look at my chaat above! (Chaat is a side plate or side salad and a name for many of the street foods in India.) While avocados are not indigenous to India (either are tomatoes, though they were introduced way earlier), in the last few years there has been an uptick in interest in the Subcontinent for avocados. Cafes in Mumbai and Delhi offer them up smashed on toast, blended in smoothies, and chopped up in salad bowls.
But, what about traditional Indian kitchens? There is potential here as well. Brought to India from Mexico in the 1900's, avocados offer a ton of delicious nutritional value. Known as 'the butter fruit' in India, they are actually grown in some parts of South India where the climate permits. The Indian variety is often smaller, rounder, and less creamy (thus slightly more watery) than the standard variety from Mexico - Hass, has an oil content of 18 percent vs. an Indian avocado which comes in around 12 percent. The oil content is what contributes to the creaminess.
Regardless of the type of avocado, I find it oddly delicious and addictive in Indian dishes. I've showcased it in homemade breads and now I want to show you how to add it to a sprouted chaat or salad. What I find most interesting in this application is that our chaat traditionally has no oil.
We get our flavor more from a combination of spices, namely Kala Namak (black salt), and lemon juice. Add an avocado and suddenly you have an added layer of creaminess and butteriness from the natural oils that can take your chaat to another level. Add a 1/4 teaspoon each of turmeric powder and ground black pepper to the recipe below and suddenly you have the powerhouse combo of turmeric + fat (avocado) + black pepper.
Avocados are rich in monosaturated fats - healthy fats that reduce cholesterol levels - and offer essential nutrients like potassium, vitamin K, E, and folate. So, give this recipe a try. If you don't have time to sprout, no worries. Sub an equivalent cup of any cooked bean or lentil. xoxo Anupy
[[ recipeID=recipe-8lu8r09he, title=Sprouts and Avocado Indian Chaat ]]
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Recipe by Anupy Singla, Indian As Apple Pie.
Servings:
Keywords: indian, chaat, avacado, salad
This recipe is by Anupy Singla, founder of Indian As Apple Pie. If you share or copy this recipe, we’d greatly appreciate it if you let others know where you found it!
