Vietnamese Avocado & Date Smoothie

📝 Ingredients

• 1 very ripe avocado (about 200 g each)
• 4 Medjool dates (about 22 g each)
• 300 g silken tofu
• 300 ml plain unsweetened soya drink, well chilled
• 1 tsp instant coffee + 1 tbsp hot water
• 6 ice cubes
• 1 pinch of salt

🍴 Utensils

• Blender
• Knife + chopping board
• Tablespoon
• Small bowl
• 2 large glasses

📖 Steps

1. Stone the dates and cut them into small pieces. If they're a little dry, soak them for 10 minutes in a splash of hot water, then drain: they'll blend without leaving any small fibrous bits.
2. In a small bowl, stir the instant coffee into the hot water until completely dissolved, then leave to cool for 2 minutes: added hot, it would warm the smoothie and melt the ice cubes too quickly.
3. Halve the avocado, remove the stone and scoop out all the flesh with a spoon, scraping well to get the dark green part next to the skin. It should yield to gentle pressure: if too firm, it would give a grassy taste and a grainy texture.
4. Drain the silken tofu. Put the avocado, dates, tofu, pinch of salt and half the soya drink in the blender. Blend for 1 minute at full speed until you have a perfectly smooth cream with no graininess.
5. Add the rest of the soya drink, the cooled coffee and the ice cubes, then blend for another 30 to 45 seconds, until the ice is completely crushed and the texture is thick and velvety.
6. Taste and adjust the texture: thin with a little cold water if the smoothie is too thick to drink through a straw. Pour into the 2 large glasses and serve immediately, before the avocado starts to oxidise and turn brown.