It wasn’t until I was 22 years old that I fell in love with avocados. While staying at my friend Ruth Leserman’s home in Beverly Hills, I experienced them plucked fresh off the tree, sliced and slathered on toast with just a sprinkle of salt and pepper. From that day on, avocados – especially in guacamole – became one of my favourite foods. Toasted cumin adds a beautiful nuanced and savoury quality to guacamole. For an extra smoky flavour, char the jalapeños (or green chillies) over an open flame prior to chopping.

  • Serves

    9

  • Cook Time

    00 h 20 m

Ingredients

  • 4 avocados, halved, pitted and chopped
  • 2-3 small red onions, diced
  • 1-2 small tomatoes, diced
  • 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp cracked fresh peppercorns
  • 1/8 tsp toasted cumin seed powder (bhuna jeera)
  • 1/2 cup coriander leaves and tender stems, chopped
  • Juice of 2 limes or to taste
  • Tortilla chips for serving

Preparation

  1. Place chopped avocado in a large bowl. Cover with remaining ingredients and combine with a large spoon.
  2. Taste and adjust salt if necessary. Serve with tortilla chips.
Written by

Suvir Saran

Suvir Saran, the Chef-Owner of The House of Celeste in Gurgaon, is Scroll Food’s Chef of the Month for August. A legend in New York’s food circles, Chef Suvir garnered a Michelin star at Devi, a first for Indian cuisine restaurants in North America. He is the chairman of Asian Culinary Studies for the Culinary Institute of America and has written three cookbooks: ‘Indian Home Cooking: A Fresh Introduction to Indian Food’, ‘American Masala: 125 New Classics from My Home Kitchen’ and ‘Masala Farm: Stories and Recipes from an Uncommon Life in the Country’. His fourth book, ‘Instamatic: A Chef’s Deeper More Thoughful Look into Today’s Instaworld’, released earlier this year. Chef Saran’s approachable style helped demystify Indian cuisine in the US and ultimately formed American Masala, his culinary philosophy that celebrates the best of Indian and American cooking.

See more by Suvir Saran