Do-it-yourself guacamole

What is it?

Guacamole is the modern-day incarnation of the original Aztec ahuacamolli - literally ''avocado sauce'' - of creamy avocado mixed with tomato, green chilli and salt. Hip Mexican restaurants now offer a guacamole service at your table, crushing the avocado in a traditional molcajete or mortar and mixing it with condiments just before you eat it.

Where is it?

Sydney restaurant Mejico introduced the ''guacamole service'' to Australia when it opened earlier this year. Waiters bring a slate board of goodies to the table, then spoon out the avocado flesh and lightly crush it in the molcajete before your eyes.

''It's a bit of theatre that people enjoy,'' says general manager Con Mitsios, ''but really, they just love the freshness of it all.''

The key, he says, is having good, ripe, unmarked avocados to work with. ''If you have that, then there's no real way to stuff it up.''

Los Hermanos Mexican Taqueria launches Melbourne's first tableside guacamole this week, just in time for summer. ''It's exactly how this sort of food should be eaten,'' says Mexican-born owner Bruno Carreto.

Why do I care?

Because it's creamy, rich, spicy, fresh and nutty - and because avocado is one-quarter the fat of butter or margarine and packed with nutrients and antioxidants.

Can I do it at home?

Too easy. Set everything up at the table and get pounding for the freshest guac you've ever had.

Sourcing

Mejico 105 Pitt Street, Sydney, 02 9230 0119 mejico.com.au

Los Hermanos Mexican Taqueria 339 Victoria Street, Brunswick 03 9939 3661

DIY guacamole

Serve with corn chips or tortillas as a dip, use as a filling for tacos, or serve as a salad with fish, pork or chicken.

2 ripe avocados, halved and stoned

1 tbsp finely diced red onion

2 ripe tomatoes, diced

1 to 2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp pickled jalapenos, chopped

2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Set out the mortar and pestle, avocados and little bowls of onion, tomato, lime, jalapenos, coriander, sea salt and pepper on a tray, ready for mixing.

2. Spoon out the avocado flesh and roughly chop it into the mortar.

3. Lightly crush with the pestle, then add the remaining ingredients to your own taste, working them in with the pestle.

3. Serve while still lightly chunky.

Serves 4

Mexican ingredients and molcahetes are available from fireworksfoods.com.au and aztecmexican.com.au.

TRENDING The Michelada Icy-cold Mex-inspired beer spiked with chilli sauce, tomato juice, lime juice and sea salt. Try it at Chica Bonita in Manly or Mamasita, Melbourne.