Gochugaru Girl has spent the afternoon chiding Niece Number 2…
…to which she has replied: it’s really not so bad.
What is “not so bad” are the totopos we have been dipping into the guacamole she made for a snack. I told NN2 she was a bad influence on me.
NN2 is revising for school exams and I am trying not to be miserable as I still have a cold. After trying hard to concentrate on some proof-reading and editing for an archive project, I just gave in and sought some light relief from the emails that came into my Inbox.
You know life is not great when filling out surveys seem like fun: Konditor and Cook wanted to know what I liked about their Christmas range, what improvements could be made and how their products fared against their competitors’ range, and a research student wanted to know how I went about learning Korean.
In the midst of this, NN2 quietly slipped away and appropriated the 2 ripe avocados she had seen on my kitchen counter and gamely made a mid-afternoon snack of guacamole, to be eaten with the totopos.
So, what are totopos? According to Wikepedia, “the name, totopo, comes from the Aztec (or Nahuatl) tlaxcaltotopochtl. This name is a compound of the word for a tortilla, tlaxcalli, plus the word for thunder. The combination means approximately tortillas that are noisy to chew”. We then need to take a step back and ask what are tortillas, but these are commonly sold in supermarkets and look similar to totopos.
The totopos are one of our family’s secret snacks, as they are reasonably priced at £2.50 for a 500g bag. They can be bought at Borough Market and are made by the Cool Chile Company.
There are no measurements for the guacamole, just the ingredients: avocados vary in size, onions vary in pungency, chillies vary in fiery heat and limes vary in juiciness. Just do as NN2 does and keep tasting and keep having fun.
For the Guacamole:
Ripe avocado
Red onion or shallot
Fresh coriander
Fresh red or green chilli or Gochugaru
Lime Juice
Pinch of salt
How to Make:
Peel and deseed the avocado. Cut into chunks and place in a mixing bowl.
Chop the red onion or shallot, coriander and chilli finely and add to the avocado.
Finally add the lime juice and a bit of salt.
Keep tasting as you combine the ingredients until you achieve your ideal texture and taste.
Serve with the totopos.
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