Shared Tables:
A Weekend Recipe of Nutty Avocadoes Salsa
By Caroline Chan

At last count, KL must have at least 17,279 restaurants and assorted food joints. It will take you, let's see, quite a few decades to try each and every of those restaurants, assuming you eat out every night. Or you could half the time if you squeeze in proper lunches as well.

So do you really want to try them all?

The bliss of fine dining and wine-ing sure beckons. Not to mention the benefits of practicality and convenience for those of us who works in the office.

But what has happened to having cosy meals at home? Doesn't any one of us still believe that the best way to your sweetheart's chakra is through his or her stomach?

Don't get me wrong. I love fine food. I love my wine. I love trying out new restaurants. I have my favourite dining places. I love catching up with friends over extended coffee breaks. I have cravings for pizzas and fix my hangovers with Maccas french fries. I happily eat from hawker stalls and I do takeaways, too.

But I love cooking just as much. I love eating at home - curled up on my sofa like a purring siamese cat and spend time with a few good friends who enjoy my cooking. Snuggling up to my boyfriend with a generous wedge of the wickedly delicious sticky date pudding (now that's the ultimate man-trap - but that's another recipe for another time).

So why not have a cook-in this weekend and have a really wholesome family time together? Cooking is not supposed to be laborious - it can even be a stress relief for some like me! Forget about the maniac dad from Eat Drink Men Women - real people don't cook like that. With a bit of creativity, a quick trip to the supermarkets, a light lunch for four can be a piece of cake. Plus it can save you money and give you total control over the calories! Give this simple and scrummy recipe a go this weekend!

Avocado & Cashew Salsa

• 2 ripe avocados
  
• 2 not-too-squishy tomato, ie, just ripe
  
• 2 lebanese cucumbers (they are more crunchy but plain cucumbers will do fine)
  
• A big handful of cashews (or walnuts, pecans, almonds... any kind of nuts you like)
  
• A few sprigs of corianda (or dill, if prefered) chopped (optional)
  
• Juice of 1 lime, sesame oil, sprinkle of salt & pepper, pinch of sugar
  

Instructional Steps

1. Half, de-stone and cut the avocados into 1.5 cm cubes.
2. Cut the tomatoes and the lebanese cucumbers (please scrub them real well and leave the skin on, all the vitamins are in the skin) into small cubes.
3. Put the avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers in your salad bowl, throw in the cashews and chopped coriander or dill.
4. Juice the lime (grate the zest if you like the salsa more tangy) and add a teaspoon of sesame oil, a good sprinkle of salt & pepper (go on, have a taste along the way to see how much you need) and a good pinch of sugar.
5. Toss lightly and it's all done!

I like serving this salsa with smoked salmon (real people don't make them, just get them from a supermarket) on some crusty bread. If you feel inspired, smear some cream cheese on the crusty bread and heat up a few frozen corncobs. Your friends will love you.

If you are really inspired, and if you don't have too many hungry guests, you could smuggle a couple of slices of cucumber and a couple of spoonfuls of avocado into a remote corner of your fridge. When your friends are gone and the partying done, mash the avocado with a spoonful of honey and smear the yummy mask on your face. Pamper your eyes with the cucumber slices. I always have a little peach schnapps to go with my mask, but I admit not everyone agree with this beauty routine.

By the way, I have no clue how many restaurants there are in KL. Please don't take my statistics too seriously. ;-)

In case you're wondering, here's how you make avocado cubes. Hold one half of the avocado in one hand, using a small knife, make vertical and then horizontal cuts on the flesh. The cuts should just touch the skin of the avocado. When the crisscrosses are done, push the belly of the avocado inside out and slice off the 'cubes'. Another useful tip is, when a recipe calls for fresh lime juice, squeeze the lime over a tea strainer so that none of the annoying pips get into the food.

Caroline is a regular contributor who resides in Melbourne, Australia with her cats, Coco and Candy. Caroline loves cooking and entertaining as a past time. Caroline has been known to cook up a storm with fresh and original recipes. One of her claim to fame was to create new and original desserts for some restaurants in Melbourne. Shared Tables is her way of sharing her ideas and recipes so you can share your table with family and friends over food.

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