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Avocado is so rich and creamy that all it needs is a little acidity to become a “salad.” This sweet and sour dressing, almost a ginger syrup, really does the trick.  And for a more substantial salad, eliminate the cilantro sprigs and put the avocados on a bed of watercress before dressing.

ingredients

  • cup rice vinegar
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • Salt
  • 2 tablespoons minced or grated peeled fresh ginger
  • Several sprigs cilantro for garnish
  • 2 medium or large avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced
  • ¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts, salted or unsalted for garnish

directions

1. Put the vinegar, sugar, a pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Add the ginger and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, as the dressing bubbles gently and thickens, about 5 minutes. When it gets noticeably syrupy, remove from the heat, cool, cover tightly or put in a jar, and refrigerate until very cold, at least an hour or so. (The dressing may be made ahead to this point and used up to 2 days later.)
2. To serve, put a few cilantro sprigs on individual salad plates or a small platter. Overlap the avocado slices on top. Drizzle each with the ginger dressing and garnish with a sprinkle of peanuts and salt if you like.

Categories

Vegetarian, Vegetarian Dishes

source

Mark Bittman

servings/yield

4 servings

rating

difficulty

course

Salad