Food trends, like fashion, come and go. And it seems that the avocado is now having its time in the sun. Plaid-shirted hipsters and American food magazines have been flooding Instagram with images of its jade-hued mush spread over artisanal toast. These people are on to something, though. The rich, creamy fruit — yes, it’s a fruit — is high in fat (the good kind that’s fabulous for your heart and keeps you feeling full longer) and is packed with nutrients like vitamin C and carotenoids (good for the eyes), as well as fibre. Most importantly, it is delicious. That deliciousness is easily amplified with simple seasoning. Here are two refreshing ways — apart from smearing it on toast — to eat an avocado.

Soft-baked eggs in avocado

Think of this as a riff on your favourite soft-boiled egg breakfast. So easy to make, so pretty, and so yummy. The lush avocado flesh melds smoothly with gooey egg. If you’re not watching your waistline, mop it all up with crisp strips of fried bacon.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 large avocadoes
4 eggs
4 tsps light soy sauce
ground white pepper, to taste
2 tbsp furikake (Japanese seasoning flakes); or as much as you like

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a baking pan with foil.
2. Slice avocados in half and remove seeds. Scoop out a little of the avocado flesh so that the eggs will fit in the cavities.
3. Place the avocado halves on the baking pan.
4. Fill each avocado cavity with 1 tsp of soy sauce and a sprinkle of pepper.
5. Break one egg into a small bowl and carefully tip the egg into one avocado half. Repeat to fill the rest of the avocados.
6. Bake in the oven for about 6 to 8 minutes for a wobbly yolk.
7. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with furikake and serve immediately with toast or bacon.

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Avocado pasta

Just five simple ingredients and boom! An umami, healthy one-dish meal with a buttery mouthfeel. Inspired by a version we ate and loved at a Japanese restaurant in — of all places — New York City.

Serves 2 as an appetiser

Ingredients

100g spaghetti
2 tssp salt
1 large avocado (or 2 small ones)
½ a lemon
1 tbsp light soy sauce a handful of micro cress or seaweed strips for garnish

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the salt and spaghetti and cook according to packet instructions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, slice the avocado, discard seed, scoop out the flesh and place into a bowl with a generous spritz of lemon juice. Mash to mix with a fork or use a hand blender to blitz it into a rough puree.
3. When the pasta is cooked, remove a cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside.
4. Drain the pasta and add to the bowl of avocado. Add the soy sauce and toss to mix evenly, adding a little of the pasta water if the mixture seems too dry.
6. Taste and add more soy sauce if necessary. Serve immediately, sprinkled with some micro cress or seaweed strips.

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Useful tips

• Use ripe avocados for these two dishes. The most commonly found avocado in Singapore is the Hass variety, which turns dark green with hints of purple as it ripens.
• To tell if an avocado is ripe, squeeze it gently, without applying pressure with your fingertips (you might bruise the fruit that way). The avocado should yield gently to your hand. If it feels very soft to the touch, it is probably too ripe.
• Stuck with rock-hard avocados? Place them in a closed paper bag with a banana or apple at room temperature for a few days to speed up the ripening process. The bag traps the ethylene gas emitted by the fruit, which ripens the avocado.

Article: 8 Days

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