Southwestern Avocado Tempura

Ever since we ate at Sticky Rice earlier in the summer, Julia and I have been craving the deliciously creamy avocado tempura they serve. So when we found this post about fried avocado tacos at A Cozy Kitchen, we jumped at the chance to put our own spin on one of our favorite dishes.

I spent Friday afternoon scouring the local grocery stores for perfect avocados. Basically, the secret is to look for avocados with smooth skin and just the slightest bit of give. Make sure no part of the fruit collapses when you squeeze it –that means it’s rotten inside. If you buy an avocado that’s too hard, you can put it next to a banana, which will speed up the ripening process.

Two hours, two grocery stores, and 120 squeezed avocados later, I finally found four perfect ones for our tempura. We actually only used two of the four and still had leftovers. For the next few mornings, I took our remaining two avocados and added them to my morning smoothies. In addition to being utterly delicious and versatile, avocados are high in protein, potassium, vitamin C, and mono and polyunsaturated fat (“good fats”). [1]

After we fried each avocado piece, we combined them with brown rice, black beans, sautéed vegetables, and shredded cheese to create a Mexican-style meal. Creamy avocados and crunchy breadcrumbs were the perfect complement to the typical southwestern flavors.

We finished off our sister date by channeling our inner 13-year-olds and watching part two of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

AVOCADO TEMPURA

2 avocados

½ cup flour

¼ cup ground flax seed

1 cup breadcrumbs

¼ cup olive oil

METHOD

Combine flax seed with ¾ cup water in a bowl and let stand for 20 minutes.

Cut avocados into small cubes and coat with flour. Next, coat the pieces in the flax mixture and finally cover in breadcrumbs.

In a shallow pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Place breadcrumb-covered avocado in the pan and cook on all sides until golden brown.