I graduated from school in Texas and from May to November did travel occupational therapy in the central valley of CA . I grew up in the valley so I am seasoned to the 100+ degree summers. The fires in nearby Yosemite made the sky smoky and brown most days when the wind shifts just such. I hoped each day people could get out and the fire fighters come home at the end of the day.
In a future post, I will give my recommendations for gluten-free eating out in the central valley (Modesto and Fresno) where I spent my summer/fall. I recently traveled to Thailand and Vietnam with one of my close friends Yanny, and will highlight some foods eaten, recommend cooking schools and general travel itinerary for 1 week in each country. Likely these will be separate posts and hopefully sooner than another year from now!
Surprisingly enough I enjoyed Fresno-even the hot weather gives me some opportunities to do indoor activities I might not otherwise: Get up at 5am to get bootcamp done before it's like an oven (no excuses!), catch up on some Netflix shows (Orange is the New Black, also convinced to try Queer Eye Reboot-I get the feels from this one), make time to do phone calls/video chats with out of town friends.
One of my favorite things about Fresno is the abundance of farmer's markets and all the produce is SO fresh! It can keep for 7-8 days before looking wilty! Over summer, I found the okra I'm familiar with from Cajun cooking and an unfamiliar Chinese okra (aka luffa or sinqua). With the former I based a pan fried dish on My Heart Beets recipe for Bhindi, an Indian okra dish. As the blogger states, you must cook okra long enough to get rid of the slime- much like nopales (cactus)
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| Simple dish, very fragrant have your fan on/windows open! Tasty with scrambled egg and rice. |
Bhindi- Indian pan fried okra
Serves 3
Materials needed: large frying pan, measuring spoons, knife & cutting board
Ingredients:
Garam Masala -spice mix recipe in link or you can buy it pre-made at an Indian grocer. Use about 1-2 tsp or to taste
Okra-3 cups chopped into 1/4" pieces
Ginger-1 tbsp -I used a paste from Target, but I'm sure fresh tastes even better
1 jalepeno finely diced if you like some heat
1 clove garlic finely diced
Oil of choice for pan frying-I used 1-2 tbsp
1. Wash and drain your okra before cutting. Dice your jalepeno and garlic keeping them separate from the okra.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in large frying pan for a few minutes on medium heat. Then add the garam masala, jalepeno, ginger and garlic saute until garlic gets golden but not burnt. Remove to a plate.
3. Heat another tbsp of oil in the frying pan for a few minutes. Add the okra and cook 10-12 minutes until slime is cooked off and vegetables are crispy/browned.
4. Take the pan off heat and add back the garlic-jalepeno mixture. Serve hot with rice or carb of your choice.
Where's the other recipe you ask? Well, I tried making the sinqa (Chinese okra) and it was too bitter for my liking. So any one have recommendations for making it less so or picking a less bitter one? Or is there an ingredient/recipe that helps complement the bitter?
Let me know, how was your summer? Highlights of fall? Was 2018 a year to remember or say adios as fast as possible?
