GUACAMOLE (pronounced "gwah-kah-MOH-lay")
Guacamole, the king of Mexican tables!
What exactly is it? It's simply a sauce of ripe avocados, mashed and mixed with very specific ingredients.
This specialty holds a very important place in Mexican gastronomy, as it is consumed at practically every meal: as an appetizer, accompanied by "totopos" (tortilla chips); or as an accompaniment to main dishes; also, to enhance tacos or as a complement to a simple plate of rice or beans.
The basic ingredients, which cannot be missing, are:
ripe avocados, a little green chili if you want to add some kick (jalapeño or serrano), white onions, fresh cilantro, and salt. You can also add lime juice to slow down the oxidation process of the avocados, and depending on the region, tomatoes are also added.
And... that's it! Simple, isn't it?
So, if you want to make a real guacamole at home, you must stick only to the ingredients mentioned above. Under no circumstances should you add cumin, or pepper, much less garlic, or paprika, and especially no oil!!
If you want to succeed with your homemade guacamole, just follow the traditional recipe:
- Ripe avocados that you simply mash with a fork (but not too much, we don't want it to become liquid!)
- Fresh cilantro, chopped and in good quantity, as it's the touch that makes it fresh and delicious
- A little white onion cut into small dice. This variety of onion is sweeter than yellow onion (no shallots, no red onion either)
- Lime juice (according to your taste, if you want it more or less acidic)
- Green chili, but it's not obligatory (cut into small pieces, without seeds, as it's the seeds that make it spicy!)
- A little not-too-ripe tomato, diced, without the seeds, as they would add moisture to your guacamole and it would become too soft)
- Finally, salt to your taste
Consume quickly, before the avocado oxidizes and turns black!!