Chef Kunal Kapoor shares how avocados blend with Indian dishes and street delicacies such as bhel puri and tawa pulao
One of the many imports from New Zealand that Indians loves is avocados. At a recent launch, celebrated chef Kunal Kapur demonstrated many ways of using avocado to create delicious and nutritious meals. “New Zealand’s Hass avocados are an amazing, healthy and versatile wholefood that contain the good fats needed to maintain a healthy heart. They interestingly blend with everyday Indian meals and the soft buttery texture and nutty flavour goes really well with many traditional dishes such asbhel puri and tawa pulao. They also blend seamlessly with curries,” he said.
Avocados can be used at any time of the day and are a great way to add nutrition, flavour and colour to your favourite recipes. Avocados are great at breakfast, lunch, dinner even desserts and snacks.
Kunal pointed out, “Avocados are a superfood. It is hassle free to cook and blends with almost any Indian dish. The addition of New Zealand Hass avocados makes snacking colourful, healthy and meaningful. I especially enjoy an avocado right after a good run at the gym.”
The New Zealand avocado industry’s food safety, traceability and quality assurance programmes set the global benchmark so you can be assured that New Zealand avocados are safe and healthy for Indian families. “I have visited New Zealand. It is a beautiful country that yields premium agricultural and horticultural products that are produced to meet high standards of food safety, quality and reliability,” he said.
He added he loved making a New Zealand avocado and kiwi lassi to have with breakfast or lunch as it’s a quick and easy way to get a nutrient boost and it also helps with digestion.
Avocados contain over 20 vitamins and minerals and are made up of proteins, good fats and carbohydrates. They’re also cholesterol free. Not many people realise how amazing avocados taste when used in baking and desserts. Their creamy texture makes them perfect for ice cream and decadent sweet treats like chocolate avocado mousse.
“My recipe for New Zealand Avocado and cheese parantha makes an excellent choice for kid’s lunch boxes and is also a tasty breakfast option,” he said. “I love to give my son avocados once a day to keep him healthy and energetic,” he added.
Avocado helps the body absorb nutrients from foods it is eaten with. In fact, it’s regarded as one of the most nutritionally complete foods in the world.
“Adding some avocado to your meals throughout the day is a smart way to ensure you are getting some good nutrition in your diet. New Zealand Hass avocados are also high in vitamin B6, which helps to maintain good energy levels through the day,” he said.
New Zealand avocados mature on the tree longer, giving them a nutty flavour which goes well with salmon and chicken. It also pairs well with the light and the fresh flavour of the watermelon and the sweetness of the strawberry and kiwi fruits.
HEAlTH BENEFITS OF AVOCADOS