CHILLI AVOCADO BHARTA

I MUST SAY OUR TASTEBUDS KEEP CHANGING! 

I did not even imagine few years back that I would ever enjoy having an avocado. I remember how I made fun about it on my social media posts. Guava still remains my preference over an Avocado. But I must admit I do enjoy an avocado these days, I even thought of throwing a seed in one of my tubs. Some day, I may prepare kebabs out of it. With two ovens in hand, I enjoy grilling and baking! The thing is the chefs and the Muslim world may not approve of my kebabs. My point of a debate and argument with them can be this that in the process, I use way less amount of oil! That is important, consuming less of oil. However, I dislike arguments, any noise in fact. I cannot cook oil-free stuffs, food without the right taste is not for me! I am trying to use less of oil & sugar in my cooking. I may not go sugar-free but after I am done with the blog updates, sweets would be done at low frequency at this home. I must do them during the date palm jaggery season, "pithe-puli" making season, on the occasion of the special prayer meets at home. I mean, once or twice a month, desserts & sweets I have to make. I cannot stop taking pride in my cooking abilities & interest altogether and start cooking minimal, be on the phone, chat unlimited, sleep or watch television all day! I do not even work, at least I should adapt to some healthy habits. I have started going for walks early morning, all the local school students reach the school before the sunrise, their school starts at 7 am. 

I think I am in that stage in life where we get caught up in the memory and nostalgia every now and then. Aging makes you miss the young you, accepting the greying procedure is not easy. Amidst this, the son's academic moves, some good watches on the OTT Platforms surely get us pleasure.

YESTERDAY WAS A SUNDAY I DID NOT COOK ANYTHING!

Not only we were watching an interesting thriller, a prequel; I also wished to have and serve the man the dried fish & eggplant bharta. Okay, I did grill the two giant chicken leg pieces for our lunch yesterday, the marination was the simplest; mixed Italian herbs, a seasoning mix, crushed black pepper, salt, oil.

The thing is all of the dried fish lovers would agree with me when there is a dried fish item on the plate, we do not want anything else, not even mutton, Hilsa. Dried Fish has an unique taste, it has an overpowering effect on the tongue that makes everything else on the plate seem bland. Instead of the meaty chicken leg, a light chicken curry on bone or some pakoras with the dal would have suited me. If there is no choice of fish available to me, I would prefer boneless chicken pakora, kebab, breaded fish fries, egg "paturi" or "chop" on our plates! Anyway, I would prefer a veg pakora over an egg pakora. Cooking a choice of vegetable bowl is not an issue, we get here all of the vegetables cooked in Bengali Homes. Last night, we had butter toasts with the lobia-minced chicken curry.

On a Saturday and Sunday, I keep eating snacks in between the meals. The stubborn fat layers in my body are not at fault. The amount of hard work and dieting a body requires to get fit and fab, I cannot ever do. I get tired after a 6 km walk, mindful eating is not my thing. I only can follow certain healthy rules, like cooking idli and dosa with an oats, urad dal, beaten rice batter.

Then that cream cheese filled toast I got from the local bakery cannot be low caloric, yum but!

WHAT IS THIS CHILLI AVOCADO BHARTA?

Avocado is something I am interested about these days. Although, it cannot take a place in my favourite fruit recipes. Neither I can eat it as a dessert in milk as they eat it in Philippines, as Cristine says. Yet, I have to admit I do not find it lame anymore. Though tasteless, I have seen I enjoy few dishes with it, like preparing a no-cook dip or chutney in addition to fresh chopped coriander or it's paste, green chilli, onion & few other spices. I do not know why I chose this recipe with Avocado to be in the blog, may be I wanted this Bengali style bharta with Avocado fruit to stay documented and spread among people like wild fire. Leave it, the simple reason is I loved having this vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian Bengali mash, chutney, condiment, side dish; CHILLI AVOCADO BHARTA, hence documented it. It is a healthy dish if you can excuse the amount of oil drizzled on the top. No exaggeration, I enjoyed a vegetarian meal with it in the forefront on that day.

I cooked the platter on the 18th of December, 2023. I would want to convey a message to our son and his likes that this spiced up avocado mash takes way less time to prepare than a cheese filled sandwich. Skip the mustard oil and use it on a toast instead of cheese daily or have it with rice like us, boil aloo & lentils, egg.

Some usual mash recipes from a Bengali Kitchen you may want to try can be these; LOTEY SHUTKIR BHARTA, GATHI KOCHU CHINGRIR BHARTA, BENGALI ROASTED EGGPLANT MASH & PEANUT MINT CHUTNEY

INGREDIENTS :

AVOCADO : 2-3 [60-70% RIPE]

SLICED ONION : 2 TBSP

CHOPPED ONION : 1 TSP

CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 1 TSP

DRY RED CHILLI : 2-3

NIGELLA SEED / KALONJI / KALOJEERE : 1/4 TSP

BAYLEAF : 1 SMALL SIZED

SALT : AS REQUIRED

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/4 TSP [OPTIONAL]

LEMON JUICE : 2 TSP

OIL : 1 TBSP + 1 TBSP [I USED MUSTARD OIL]

PROCEDURE :

Wash the avocado fruits well, discard the seeds and skins. Mash with a fork taking in a bowl. Earlier, I did the mistake of using a blender. Cristine taught me a lot about an avocado.

Thereafter, Cristine peeled, washed & sliced the onions, chopped and washed the green chillies and a onion too.

Then, I heated 1 tbsp oil in a small sized pan, tempered it with a bayleaf, nigella seeds & the red chillies. I gave a stir and added the sliced onions to it.

I got fried the onions until light brown, added the turmeric and salt, gave a stir.

I poured them in a bowl along with the tempered oil. I had mashed the fried red chillies and onions a bit, added to the mashed avocado and folded in well.

In the next round, I added the chopped onion and chillies, lemon juice; folded in well. 

Then I drizzled some raw mustard oil on the top and we enjoyed it fresh with steamed rice, it can be had with roti I believe. 

If we refrigerate it, the colour darkens. I think we need not worry, the inside remains the same green. Students of Botany, Chemistry may know the reason.