Guacamole グワッカモレ

This is another example of extremely popular Mexican-South Western cuisine and, in the U.S., it is probably one of the most common and popular dips at any party. Since I mentioned guacamole in my previous post on quesadilla, I decided to make it. Guacamole is getting popular even in Japan and some Izakaya serve up tacos and guacamole. For some reason, Japanese recipes for Guacamole include cream cheese, mayonnaise, and/or sour cream but the authentic Mexican or South Western recipes do not include these. Whether chopped tomatoes and garlic should be included appears to be controversial. In any case, this is how I make my guacamole.

Cut one ripe but unblemished avocado in half (choosing a ripe avocado is, by itself, another subject needing some discussion), remove the pit, and cut the green "meat" into quarters. After removing and discarding the skin, I put the pieces in a bowl (true authentic recipes should specify the use of a molcajete and tejolote but I do not have one), add the juice of one or two limes (about 2 tbs), two scallions finely chopped, one jalapeño pepper finely chopped after de-seedng and de-veinng, 1/2 tsp of salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste and 3-4 sprigs of cilantro, only leafy parts, chopped finely. I use either the back of a fork or a small potato masher to make a smooth paste with some small chunks of avocado remaining. Since the heat of jalapeño pepper (capsaicin) is in the veins and seeds, this may not be spicy enough for some. I adjust the spiciness by adding Tabasco. I do not use garlic or tomatoes in my guacamole but these are optional. I think if you add sour cream, mayonnaise or cream cheese like many Japanese guacamole recipes suggest, it is not guacamole but is an avocado-flavored dip.

This time, I made chicken quesadilla and served them with guacamole. Yum...yum.