Avocado Gula Melaka Smoothie & Dessert ~ Recipes Included!

When I asked BFF what should I do with the Panasonic Mixer Grinder, he said: "Make Avocado Smoothie!

When BFF told me he's going to Malacca for the weekend, I said, "Help me buy Gula Melaka!"

There we have it! Avocado Gula Melaka Smoothie!

Avocado and Gula Melaka sounds like a great combination and I can't wait for the Panasonic mixer grinder to be delivered to me faster so that I can try making the smoothie soon. BFF has made it before, but when I asked him for the recipe, his advice was "agak agak lah!".

Well, and so, "agak agak" I did. And hey, my skill at "agak-ration" is not bad yo! The end product is smoothly pleasing, with a good balance of creamy avocado and soya milk, enhanced by the sweet gula melaka. The ratio of gula melaka is just nice for my tastebuds, aromatic but not overwhelming, sweet but not cloyingly so. Very delightful! Feel free to take this recipe as a guideline and adjust the level of sweetness to your liking.

Avocado are high in vitamins, minerals and protein, reputed to be great for healthy skin and hair. They packed with calories though, so don't overdo them. Only use the ripe ones as unripe ones has a bitter taste. How to tell if the avocado is ripe? Let your fingers do it! Press it haha!! It should feel a bit soft when gently pressed. Color wise, dark green or deep purple are safe bets.

Gula Melaka is palm sugar extracted from the sap of palm trees, boiled and then solidified into dry cylindrical blocks. Readily available in supermarkets, the dark brown sugar needs to be melted into a rich caramelized syrup before being using as topping or sweetener for desserts such as Chendol, Sago Gula Melaka Pudding, Agar Agar etc. Malacca is famous for their Chendol dessert drenched in thick, sticky and fragrant top-grade gula melaka! The make or break of this smoothie much depends on the gula melaka, so use the best quality ones you can find :)
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This recipe uses Unsweetened Soya Milk which is a healthier alternative to regular milk. It contains very little saturated fats, is naturally cholesterol free and suitable for people who are lactose intolerant. Do take note to buy the unsweetened version as the sweetness of the smoothie will come from the gula melaka. You do not want an overly sweet drink, do you? :p

{RECIPE} AVOCADO GULA MELAKA SMOOTHIE

Makes 2-3 servings (in high ball glasses) 

Ingredients

• 1 Avocado
• 500ml Unsweetened Soya Milk
• 50g Gula Melaka
• 50ml Water
• Ice Cubes

Steps

1. Heat water in a saucepan, add gula melaka. Stir until completely dissolved and slightly thickened. Leave aside.
2. Halve the avocado, discard the pit and scoop out the flesh, breaking it into small pieces with a spoon.
3. Place avocado in the blender, add the dissolved gula melaka and soy milk.
4. Blend until smooth.
5. Transfer into individual glasses, add ice cubes. Serve and enjoy!

I had the idea to variate the smoothie into a dessert too with the addition of agar agar, which is a vegetarian gelatine produced from seaweed. Easily available in two forms, dried clear strip or powder, I prefer the latter for convenience. Topped it with some Hokkaido Azuki Bean, the creamy mousse-like texture of the dessert is refreshing for anytime!

{RECIPE} AVOCADO GULA MELAKA DESSERT

Makes 5-6 servings (in rock glasses)

Ingredients

• 1 Avocado
• 500ml Unsweetened Soya Milk
• 50g Gula Melaka
• 50ml Water
• 12g (1 packet) Agar Agar Powder
• 1 can Azuki Bean

Steps

1. Heat water in a saucepan, add gula melaka. Stir until completely dissolved and slightly thickened. Leave aside.
2. Halve the avocado, discard the pit and scoop out the flesh, breaking it into small pieces with a spoon.
3. Place avocado in the blender, add the dissolved gula melaka and 400ml soy milk. 
4. Blend till smooth. (Do not remove from blender yet.)
5. Heat 100ml soy milk, add in agar agar powder, stir quickly and mix well.
6. Add the agar agar soy milk mixture to the smoothie and blend till well incorporated.
7. Place a layer of azuki beans into each individual serving glass.
8. Fill glass with the smoothie agar agar mixture. Chill in fridge overnight till set.
9. Top the chilled dessert with azuki beans. Serve and enjoy!

Due to the mineral-rich soil of Hokkaido, Japanese azuki beans are packed full of vitamins and are lower in fat and oil than any other bean. I love these azuki beans in desserts like Anmitsu, Daifuku, Zenzai and Dango, just to name a few! So when creating my own dessert, the addition of azuki beans became a natural choice.

The Avocado Gula Melaka Smoothie and Pudding are both blended using Panasonic Mixed Grinder, model MX-AC 300. Being a mixer grinder means that it not only blends, but can be used for juicing, whipping, wet/dry grinding and mincing as well!

That's a lot of functions in one small convenient and hassle-free appliance! It may sound complicated to use, but in reality, I figured out how to use it without any instruction manual. So easy! No worries about the jar flying off and food spilling all over the place too as the unique interlocking safety system ensures whatever should stay in place, stays safely in place. I imagine myself cooking lots of delicious food with the help of this smart mixer grinder but alas, my time with this baby is short.

A big THANK YOU to everyone who has voted PinkyPiggu for the Singapore Blog Awards 2013. Voting period has now ended and results will be announced on 6th July. Really appreciate your support! *Muacks!*

Many thanks too to OMY for a chance to participate in the awards this year, and Panasonic for loaning me the awesome applicances!


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