Thanh Hà

The Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk is not only famous worldwide for its quality coffee, but also avocados.

The fruit wins fans for its buttery flavour and fragrant and sweet taste, seventy five year old Hồ Thị Liệu, a Đắk Lắk resident, said.

Locals find interesting ways to serve the avocado, presenting it in many tasty great dishes which guests will never forget.

They include avocado salad stuffed with tomato, jelly cake mixed with avocado, chicken breast salad with avocado, avocado sweet soup, grilled avocado and eggs, avocado tea, avocado milk and even avocado ice cream. There are also numerous avocado salads, mixed avocado porridge, avocado pudding, deep-fried avocado and spaghetti avocado...the list is extensive said Liệu.

She offered some of her favourite ways of serving up the fruit.

A lovely combination, avocado salad with cucumber and tomato. Photo bachhoaxanh.com

Avocado salad with shrimp. Ingredients include lettuce, tomato, avocado, shrimp, sweetcorn, green beans, mayonnaise, unsweetened yoghurt, chilli powder, salt and sugar.

Clean the lettuce, cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters, peel off the avocado skin, take out its seed and cut the flesh into pieces.

Clean the shrimp well, peel it and boil it until it is just tender then set aside. For the sweetcorn, take the corn off the husk, cut each bean into three parts and boil both vegetables so they are cooked but still retain a crispness.

How to make the sauce. Mix together ½ tablespoon of mayonnaise, one tablespoon of yoghurt, one tsp of chilli powder and add a little salt, before pouring it in a big bowl of the avocado, shrimp, the cut tomatoes, boiled sweetcorn, green beans and lettuce.

Avocado cooked with spaghetti and shrimp becomes an enjoyable dish for many foodies and guests visiting Đắk Lắk.. Photo dienmayxanh.com

Considered a 'perfect dish' the fresh salad is elevated with that amazing sauce, a perfect combination with the sweet and fragrant shrimp.

Avocado tomato salad for two will need some preparation, but no cooking time. Ingredients include one avocado, several cherry tomatoes, one big onion, one bell pepper, one lemon, one tsp olive oil, half a coffee spoon of salt and a handful of fresh coriander.

All of these need to be washed and then cut into pieces. Mix them together, before adding the juice of the lemon and some olive oil, before topping the salad with coriander. Not only is this a fabulous tasting dish, but it looks as good as it tastes, with lots of colour.

Đắk Lắk organic avocado fruits wins prestige among eaters. Photo langnghevietnam.com.vn

Avocado trees, sourced from the Americas, arrived in Việt Nam’s Lâm Đồng Province in the Central Highlands in the 1940s. The fruit took a while to be established and has been widely planted in Đắk Lắk since 1950s, with two crops from April to July and the other from September to November.

The fruit has since become Đắk Lắk’s speciality, the quality winning many discerning foodie fans from across the nation.

Hanoian Lê Minh Hải told Việt Nam News that she and her friends prefer the Đắk Lắk avocado above all others.

“During the main avocado season, I often order avocado fruits from Đắk Lắk to make and cook avocado dishes and make salads for my family members. It helps to improve our health, and has helped reduce my mum’s weight. We like it very much,” Hải said.

Youngsters in particular are interested in deep-fried avocado. Photo dienmayxanh.com

Many people think eating avocado would increase their weight, because of the fruit’s buttery-like taste, but according to researchers from the US Department of Agriculture, avocado works in the opposite way, helping people lose weight, because the fruit contains many multi-vitamins and minerals, including that unsaturated fat.

In addition, avocado is a rich source of fibre, so it is very good for the digestive system and those who eat it will feel full for longer, helping them reduce food cravings, according to the researchers. VNS