Recipe: Avocado Tempura Chaat

Chef Parvinder Singh Bali demonstrates the magic of avocados.

In association with Aussie Avocados, he designed a meal with five courses, at a recent Mumbai do, and all of them contained avocados.

Course 1: Mango, Apple, Avocado And Nori Crisp

Course 2: Watermelon Salad With Avocado Mousse

Now for avocado in re-imagined Indian street food using a Japanese technique in his fifth course. Avocado wedges are fried like tempura and given a punchy, chaat-style dressing with yoghurt, chutney and spices.

Avocado Tempura Chaat is a dish that's familiar yet surprising.

Dr Bali is the director of the School for European Pastry and Culinary Arts, Gurugram, and formerly a corporate chef with Oberoi Hotels and Resorts.

Avocado Tempura Chaat

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

For the chaat:

• 5 pieces avocado, cut into 10 pieces each
• 1 pack tempura flour, available for purchase online
• 300 ml saunth chutney, available for purchase online (an imli chutney with dried ginger)
• 500 gm yoghurt
• 50 gm chaat masala
• 1 gm black pepper, crushed
• 2 gm salt
• 5 ml extra virgin olive oil
• Oil for deep frying tempur pieces

For the avocado miso ketchup:

• 20 gm miso, available for purchase online
• 20 gm extra virgin olive oil
• 60 gm onion, chopped
• 20 gm tomato paste
• 5 gm ginger, diced
• 2 gm brown dhania or coriander seeds
• 2 gm sonf or fennel seeds
• 1 whole avocado
• 2 gm agar-agar
• 100 ml water

Method

For the chaat:

• Cut the avocado into wedges.
  Keep aside,
• In a bowl, add the tempura batter, black pepper, olive oil, salt.
  Dip the avocado pieces in the batter and fry at 180°C in a frying pan or a kadhai until golden and crisp.
  Drain onto a paper towel-lined plate.
  Keep aside.

For the avocado miso ketchup

• Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the onion, ginger, spices, pepper, salt.
  Now add the tomato paste, miso, cook for 5 minutes.
  Add enough water for a sauce-like consistency and bring to a boil.
  Mix in the agar-agar, let set, then blend smooth.
  Take off heat, strain and transfer to a squeeze bottle.

Assembly:

• Plate crispy avocado tempura pieces.
  Drizzle with the avocado miso ketchup and the yoghurt.
  Spoon saunth chutney over it generously.
  Finish with the chaat masala and serve immediately.

• REDIFF FOOD