#chinese okra

[morethansalad]

@/thankful2plants on Instagram

A raw Whole Food Plant-Based salad:

🌿 STARCH RICH: plantain, sweet corn [to make an almost raw salad, we can steam or bake sweet potatoes in their whole form, with their skin, then dice them - sweet potatoes are tasty, nutrition-rich and satiating]

🌿 LEAFY GREENS: [in copious amounts; the more the better] red lettuce, romaine lettuce, radicchio, radish greens [some leafy greens are under the other veggies in the pic; "Leafy Greens are the Best Veggies!" -- Dr Greger]

🌿 BEANS, PEAS & LEGUMES: none [to make an almost-raw salad, we can add boiled or salt-free canned beans. Eden Organics is a great brand].

🌿 RAINBOW VEGGIES: tomato, cucumber, ridge gourd, ivy gourd, sweet onion, jalapeno.

🌿 FRUIT & BERRIES: red grapes, rambutan, barberries, sumac (dried sumac berries) ["Berries are the Best Fruits!" -- Dr Greger]

🌿 FRESH HERBS: basil, parsley, perilla leaves, cilantro, curry leaves, tarragon [fresh herbs are more aromatic & flavorful than dried herbs]

🌿 MISC: sesame seeds, dried methi leaves, dulse flakes, 5-spice mix, lemon-pepper seasoning, Chef AJ's spicy bean soup mix, Pancha Phoron 5-spice mixture, lemon.

"We should eat Fruits & Veggies as if our Lives Depend on Them because They Do!" -- Dr Greger

[hedaruma]

in such a dead world i prefer to eat still 🍜🥘🍚

[ryllen]

still on with the vegetable debate 🥗🥬🥒🥦🚜🧑‍🌾

[ihearttseliot]

It ain’t special, but it’s something. White rice, dumplings, saltfish, okra, tomatoes, and onion.

[omnivorescookbook]

Chinese Okra Salad, Two Ways (凉拌秋葵)

A quick and easy Chinese okra salad recipe that features a bold and rich seasoning, crisp okra, and none of the sliminess.

Recipe => https://omnivorescookbook.com/chinese-okra-salad/

[chinesefoodculture]

Chinese cuisine recipe, the chef teaches you how to make okra egg cake,w...

[southeastasianists]

Penang is well-known for its vibrant Straits Chinese Peranakan culture, but if you know where to look, there’s another chapter to its history. While the focus is often on the marriage between overseas Chinese traders marrying local Malay women, the truth is, the Chinese were not the only traders conducting business in George Town. Merchants from around the region were familiar with Penang, having already flowed through Penang on various trading missions.

Between the 10th and 18th centuries, traders and migrants from India, Persia, and the Middle East arrived in Penang. Their marriages with local Malay women gave rise to a new branch of the Peranakans, known as Jawi Peranakan, with Jawi denoting Southeast Asian Muslims, and Peranakan taking its meaning from the Malay word ‘anak’, or child. Over time, this group expanded to include those who had Arab-Malay ancestry. In Penang, they were also once known as Jawi Pekan. 

The Jawi Peranakan cuisine, much like its Chinese cousins, draws on cultural exchanges between Malay cuisine and its Indian, Arab, and Persian influences. Jawi Peranakan dishes tend to feature ingredients from India and the Middle East, including ground almonds and cashews, saffron, and rosewater. The cuisine of the Jawi Peranakan was generally recognized to be more lavish, and was often served during feasts and special occasions. 

To get a taste of this chapter of Peranakan history, visit Jawi House, located on Armenian Street in the heart of George Town’s downtown heritage district. The house was recently renovated in 2012 according to UNESCO World Heritage Guidelines, but it has existed for six generations. It was established by the Karim family of Punjabi-Jawi Peranakan history, and today functions as not just a restaurant showcasing a modern take on Jawi Peranakan cuisine, but also as a small gallery charting the family’s history as well as classic handcrafted art. Helmed by Chef Nurilkarim Razha, a descendant of the Karim family, the restaurant offers up iconic Jawi Peranakan fare. Popular dishes include lamb bamieh, a fragrant, aromatic Persian-inspired okra and tomato-based lamb stew; serabai, a Malay kuih which resembles a tangy, spongier pancake made from fermented rice batter and served with caramel kaya (coconut jam); and nasi lemuni, an herbaceous rich rice dish cooked with butterfly pea flowers and the herb Vitex trifolia.

[fatehbaz]

[A variation of] agua fresca [...] has its origins in the culture of the Mexica (Aztec) [...]. Nearly synonymous with the global tropics and subtropics, hibiscus has become a symbolic representation of the Caribbean’s transnational past, present, and future. Both the flower and the people who have long cared for it found their way to the Caribbean as a result of transatlantic flows that accompanied European imperial expansion. [...]

It’s widely assumed that hibiscus first made its way to the Caribbean from Africa, a continent that has long been home to a wide variety of hibiscus flowers. Among them are Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) and Roselle/hibiscus/bissap (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) in the African Savanna Complex and Okra/gumbo (Hibiscus esculentus L.) in the West African Savanna-Forest Complex. [...] The narratives of hibiscus migration are often associated with the violent histories of the Atlantic slave trade. [...] As noted by Judith Carney and Richard N. Rosomoff in [...] In the Shadow of Slavery: Africa’s Botanical Legacy in the Atlantic World, enslaved peoples mobilized food as a way to survive and thrive despite the violence inflicted against them, particularly by cultivating kitchen gardens. [...] These plots had different names in different parts of the Caribbean, such as conucos in the Hispanic Caribbean, kunukus in the Dutch Caribbean, and “ground provisions” in the West Indies. [...] [T]hey made a home [...], with Hibiscus becoming a staple garden plant, mainly consumed as a herbal beverage, called by different names in various parts of Africa (bissap, wonjo, foléré, dabileni, tsobo, zobo, or sobolo). In the Americas, the drink is referred to as sorrel or agua de Jamaica. [...]

Hibiscus also has deep roots in Asia, which is the homeplace of various species of the genus. The introduction of Asian species to the Caribbean via indentured servants added another layer to the narratives of forced labor and migration in the region. 

Imperial powers supplemented enslaved labor in the plantation system with indentured labor -- a system  of bonded exploitation that followed the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade. Between 1837 and 1920, more than 2.2 million Chinese, Indians, Javanese, Malagasy, and free Africans were indentured on tropical plantations [...].

Hibiscus tiliaceus, for example, is one species that arrived with indentured Indians. As elaborated by Tobagonian scholar Brinsley Samaroo, this plant had various purposes; it was used for [...] worship, in toothbrushing, as fodder for animals, and for creating hedges and flower gardens.  [...]

These practices show interesting parallels in how the diasporic communities of African and Indian descent in the Caribbean have mobilized the plant [...].

---

Text by:  Andrés Triana Solórzano. “Plant of the Month: Hibiscus.” JSTOR Daily. 28 April 2023. [Some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

[urban-homesteading]

The gist:

1. Start seeds indoors. Do this about six to eight weeks before the last frost date. It can help to soak your seeds in water 24 hours prior to planting. This will help soften the hard outer shell around each seed and make it easier for them to germinate.

2. Harden off indoor seedlings before taking outdoors full time.

2. Plant them in mounds. You should plant your seeds in little hills, each of which should be about a foot apart along a fence or something else that your loofah vines can climb.

3. If growing directly outside, once each plant is about two inches tall, thin to a single plant (choose the healthiest one and cull the rest).

4. If you’ve already planted your loofah gourds and a cold snap threatens, put a cloche over your seedlings. This can be as simple as a plastic soda bottle cut in half with a few air holes.

5. Prevent deformed fruits by checking them as they grow and making sure they aren't getting trapped in a fence.

6. Choose the right variety. There are actually two species of gourds that are referred to as loofahs - Luffa aegyptiaca and Chinese okra.  You want luffa acuntangular, also known as smooth luffa, Egyptian luffa, gourd luffa, or dishrag gourd.

7. Use diatomaceous earth in the late summer. In the late summer and early fall, when your plants have produced fruits that are almost ready for harvest, you may want to apply a light dusting of diatomaceous earth. This will help prevent squash beetles, creatures who can decimate loofah plants.

8. When it comes time to harvest, make sure you know the ideal time to do so. Usually, you will want to harvest once the vines have died back, before the first frost in the fall. To remove your loofahs, pinch or cut them off at the vine. This will leave the plant in good stead if there are other gourds that will need to ripen. If a frost threatens, harvest your loofah sponges. Even if they are still green, it’s better to harvest them before the frost hits, as this will lead to premature rot.

9. Prepare your sponges. You will need to do a bit of prep work to get your gourds ready for clean-up. Position your luffa gourd on a solid, flat surface. Use a stone or a rolling pin to remove the dried exterior skin. After you’ve removed both the seeds and the skin, there will be a black, brown, or yellow material underneath. Then soak this material in a solution of bleach water. Rinse them afterward with a few squirts from a hose at high pressure. This will remove any remaining seeds, mold, or rotten material. Allow the loofahs to dry in direct sunlight and a light breeze for a couple of days. Turn them regularly to make sure they dry evenly.

[idyllcy]

from one admirer to another : single's day?

pairing: leon kennedy x reader || masterpost: from one admirer to another

synopsis: from one admirer to another, an online penpal service, allows for two people with common interests to write to each other without ever revealing their actual address! Luckily for both you and Leon, you get matched up! What do eggs and Christmas even have in common anyway? sure hope it's that modeling business and NOT that Ada Wong addiction.

featuring: reader as model number two // leon as Leon

To: Leon

Does it feel nice to be in a romcom? I feel as though I'm the male lead in a shoujo manga who keeps playing tough to get without intentionally trying. I... can assure that your efforts are not in vain. That crême brulée was really good. Also, since when have you been rookiecookie? When you said you were an Ada fan I wasn't expecting you to be Okra's number one fan as well. Do you trust me with even that information now?

I find myself happy that you're so enthusiastic to know so many mundane things about me. Did my sense of style live up to what you were imagining? What's your go-to flavor on a hard day? Do you even have ice cream? I'm basic enough to just down a tub of vanilla, but I never order it when I go out. What's your go-to order of ice cream? Your ice cream of choice when you need comfort?

How about your favorite flower? A fond memory to you? Just because I can not reciprocate your feelings yet doesn't mean that I can't get to know you nonetheless. Lay not yourself bare before me, but let me glance at you through the fabric of your veil? Does that make sense? Who knows.

It was nice seeing Sunshine again. Or, Sunny as you call him. He's always full of fun, and I know he liked that dog-friendly version of creme brulee we made. Maybe you should come meet Sesame Bun sometime. She's not quite as friendly, but I'm sure she'll warm up to you. Also, Ada's basically packed up for her move to Chicago, so it's not like I have much to do now.

She didn't end up moving too far away because the Midwest is her home, after all. I think she'll do great on the big stage. She suits it, and she has the influence now. Who knows? Maybe one day you'll be a supermodel too. Will you still sneak me a ticket then?

Well, that's all under the circumstance that even if we don't work out, we stay friends. What if we're dating by then? Do I get VIP backstage access? Kidding. That's not how shows work. Maybe Ada can fly me in twice a year and you the other two... tempting (kidding).

Ah, this letter seems to have gotten long. model number two

The knock on your door snaps you out of the trance you're stuck in after the letter.

"Delivery!"

"Hm?" You open the door, blinking at the bouquet of flowers.

"Uh... wrong house?"

"Hm? I'm fairly sure this is the right apartment. It's to someone... model number two?" The delivery worker raises a brow. "Apartment 1702."

"From?"

"...Christmas."

"That man really didn't— alright." You sigh. "Thank you for the delivery."

You take the flowers, bouquet a manageable size. You split it into different flowers, pulling all of the vases around the house to try and get all of them together, cutting and arranging them the whole afternoon. It's a little tiring, but you appreciate the sentiment nonetheless.

Sesame Bun joins you at one point, sitting on the marble counter as you toss the stems in the compost bin, ruffling her fur with a hum.

She meows back at you.

"It's from a pretty brother." You tell her in Chinese. "It's not from big sis Ada."

She meows again.

"They're safe for you. Don't worry." You scratch the back of her head, and finally finish with the flowers.

Sesame Bun follows you around the apartment as you put them all down, and as you get rid of the stems, you tilt your head at the card that's been left for you.

Oh.

Oh.

That's... cute. Wow.

prev letter : masterlist : next letter

[morethansalad]

Chili Oil Okra Salad (Vegan)

[eraserisms]

Shota + 🍙 Food Preferences

Let's talk about what Shota likes & doesn't like! Shota isn't particularly picky and eats whatever he can get his hands on. As far as Aizawa is concerned, a cooked meal is a cooked meal, even if it isn't something he favors.

Sweets

Shota is fond of sweet things. Some sweet things that he likes in particular are his jelly pouches (mostly the apple ones), strawberry & matcha cake, and mochi. He loves iced lattes, shaved ice and ice cream during the summer months. Matcha flavored things is his default preference. Shota does like chocolate here and there but there is a kind of richness to it that sometimes Shota can find to be too much. He does enjoy it in small doses though. Shota doesn't particularly care for floral flavors. Shota doesn't like the taste of lavender, jasmine or sakura.

Sour

Shota is a fan of sour things. He enjoys things like sour/green apples and citrus fruits. He loves yuzu lemon, oranges, grapefruit and limes in that order. He enjoys cherries when they are sweet, but he also loves when they have a tartness to them. He is a huge fan of pickled and fermented vegetables. Some of his favorite things to eat are kimchi, pickles of all kind of varieties; cucumbers, carrots, garlic, onions. Umeboshi is another sour food that he likes. He enjoys them cooked with rice and also loves them as a stuffing for onigiri. While Shota does enjoy sour things, he doesn't really like things that are more on the artificial side of things. Things covered with citric acid are usually a no-go such as Sour Patch Kids or Warheads.

Cuisines

Western cuisine really isn't his thing, but that isn't to say he hates it. Shota's favorite Western fare is Italian, but he also enjoys haute cuisine and Spanish dishes as well. American food isn't his favorite, but there are some things that he does really enjoy; burgers, fries and ribs. American foods that he isn't really fond of are turkey and mac & cheese. Some other victual that Shota has a distaste for is Indian and while Shota isn't all that familiar with African, Latin or South American food, those too wouldn't fall under one of his favorites. But that isn't to say that Shota would be incapable of finding a dish or two from those places that he would enjoy. The reason why Shota would dislike these continental cuisines comes down to Shota's spice preferences. Shota isn't a huge fan of herbs and spices such as cumin, nutmeg, allspice coriander, cloves and cilantro (it tastes like soap to him). This is also why he doesn't care for pumpkin spice flavored things. Some other foods that Shota doesn't like are avocado and eggplant due to their texture. He does like the flavor of okra, but it has to be prepared in a way that the texture isn't slimy. On the flipside, Shota loves Korean, Chinese and Thai food.

Favorite Dishes

Japanese: Yakimeshi, Tonkatsu, Ramen, Tempura, Onigiri, Korean: Kimchi-jjigae, Japchae, Jjajangmyeon, Dubu-jorim Italian: Carbonara, Spaghetti alla puttanesca, Pizza, Tiramisu Other: Ban Mi, (Vietnamese) Mapo Tofu, Congee, Peking Duck (Chinese) Tom Sum, Pad Thai, Pad see ew(Thai)

Alcohol

Shota's favorite liquor is whiskey, but Soju follows as a close second for him. Given Shota's close relationship with his maternal grandmother, Shota finds it nostalgic. He used to drink it with her, especially when he spent his summers in Korea. They usually would do either shots of it or make somaek (Soju bombs). Shota also enjoys having a beer or two after work or on the weekends when he has the time. He usually ends up going out onto the porch to drink and have a cigarette with it. If he is going out with co-workers, beer is his his liquor of choice. Shota isn't a fan of tequila or gin. He straight up just doesn't like tequila, and doesn't like the floral taste of gin. Shota dislikes seltzers such as White Claw because they are too dry for him and don't have enough sweetness.

Spice Tolerance

Having spent so much of his childhood in Korea, Shota has a decent tolerance for spice. Sometimes his tolerance can vary though, if Shota hasn't had spicy food for a while, that obviously plays a factor in how much he can handle.

Temperature

If food is supposed to be served warm, and isn't boiling lava hot, Shota probably isn't going to want it.

[garden-da-luciano]

The Dainty Yet Hardy: Trailing Flowering Maples

Abutilon megapoticum is part of the Malvaceae family, which also includes plants such as hibiscus, marshmallow plant, and okra. This plant is native to southern Brazil and commonly goes by Chinese lantern or Brazilian bellflower. It grows as a shrub or vining shrub and has small blooms that dangle like little bells. The blooms are composed of a red calyx, yellow petals, and a brown pistil. When grown outside, this plant is a hummingbird magnet and attracts many hummingbirds in its native habitat due to its sweet nectar. It is very adaptable and able to withstand heat, humidity, drought, cold, and shade, which makes it the perfect perennial for Southern gardeners. Even though it is tolerant of shade, it won't produce as many blooms when compared to a plant grown in full sun. Also, this tropical plant is surprisingly hardy down to zone 7b.

[tomorrowsgardennc]

ok, here goes my first ever garden update post...

garden update // june 4th, 2024

over the past 3 years i've been turning my front yard into a raised bed garden. i am just over halfway done with installing beds. the biggest hurdle has been getting compost/soil to fill the top bit. i have trees for days and can get wood chips delivered for free whenever i want. i think my favorite raised beds right now are the blueberry dot beds (circle beds, but i like calling them dot beds and the rest dash beds. i'm crazy like that.) totally not biased since the blueberries are coming in 😅 underneath the blueberry bushes are rosemary and thyme.

so i consider myself a seed farmer, and i sell seeds at a local farmers market. this bed has cilantro going to seed, which the pollinators have been enjoying, and lettuce seeds next to it.

i have walking egyptian onion in the same bed as the lettuce, and i have pink celery going to seed scattered wherever i had room last winter. i don't believe in leaving space between plants, in case that wasn't obvious 😅

my california early softneck garlic that i grew for seeds is done curing, and the pumpkins i put in their place established well. only some okra made it when i transplanted, so i'm starting more okra seeds to make sure i have plenty to sell the next few years. this year is clemson spineless okra, and next year i want to grow a red variety for seeds. the pumpkins are autumn blue and chinese mini white. orange pumpkins are boring to me, i love me white and blue and any other odd ball pumpkin.

i'm growing 3 varieties of tomatillos for the seed saver exchange test program. my garden started in these "barrel" containers, so they're slightly sentimental to me thus i still use them to grow even if they take up most of the sidewalk. at first i noticed a difference between the 3 varieties, but now they are all beyond happy and look and acting the exact same. whoops! will definitely have plenty to save seeds and have produce, too.

[foodffs]

Chinese Okra Salad, Two Ways (凉拌秋葵) A quick and easy Chinese okra salad recipe that features a bold and rich seasoning, crisp okra, and none of the sliminess.

Recipe => https://omnivorescookbook.com/chinese-okra-salad/

[adamsandlermealplan]

Every Meal is Shared With You Now and Forever

Bún Bò Huế at Tương Lai (Cabramatta) | 1 August

It's nothing new under the sun to write about how love and food are entwined. How preparing a meal, the deliberate act of taking someone to a restaurant that you enjoy, the times when the scent of a familiar flavour sends you into a wave of emotions... A humanity that has been forever. It's what really made me want to start writing more, although I fear reproducing half-baked diaspora musings. But maybe that's why I do want to record it, precisely because of its eternal and intrinsic nature that transcends time and fuses communities together.

My grandma passed away on Sunday, and food has not tasted the same since. She was my third parent, and my constant. Until the last day that she could stand she would cook lunch and dinner for everyone. After school and work, the first thing that she would ask is whether I was having dinner. Almost without missing a day, she would cook for us. My gut wrenches from remembering the times when I declined and said I would eat later. The times that I've told her I was going out for dinner and her subsequent dejected mood. More than anything, I had declined her act of love. I deserve to feel this terrible, brokenhearted remorse.

She grew up learning to cook with her eyes and her nose. Being the fourth daughter of a Chinese immigrant in British occupied Malaysia, she was prohibited from getting an education by her father. She was basically illiterate, bar the few Chinese characters and basic English words she had to teach herself. I had always considered myself fortunate to be able to indulge in a cuisine many had only later been introduced to. A cuisine that was an almagation of Indian immigrants, Malay locals, many generations of Chinese-Malays and even the influence of British and Portuguese colonisers. She would pound her own spices for curries, cook herbal soups when we came into flu season. So much knowledge through simply absorbing the world around her. Learning the only way she really knew how. I loved her sambal which she would use on a variety of dishes. Nasi lemak. Fried okra. Fried fish. She really loved golden, deep fried delicacies. She introduced me to what Westerners would consider more "challenging" foods. Liver, blood jelly, tripe. I feel so lucky to be able to appreciate these foods. When I had a 2 year vegetarian stint, she would take the effort to cook me a separate dish with no meat. I'm honestly glad I started to eat meat again so I could taste her original cooking before it was too late. I should have known that through her cooking and her hours of preparation, her commitment to make sure we were fed were all intrinsic acts of love. I will never be able to taste it again. I will never be able to repay it.

I ate this bún bò huế after visiting the temple where my family and I have now decided to place her ashes. I had been crying until my eyes had become swollen, and looked bee-stung. I was weepy, still, when they brought this soup noodle out. While it was delicious with its spicy tang and careful notes of fermented seafood, like most of the meals I've had since, it was dampened by the flavour of grief. The thought of being unable to share this with her dulled the usual melody of aromas I would get from that first taste of the soup. If she were with me, I would have asked for a separate little bowl for her to try the silky noodles and bits of Vietnamese ham. Now and until forever, I thought, I could not ever return those acts of care to her. So from that day I promised that every meal is shared with her. I will think of her in every bowl of noodle soup, every bite of curry, even whatever bland work lunch I may have. Tonight is the 7th day since her death, so I poured us a glass of her favourite beer (Guiness) and we served her a little plate of our dinner on the makeshift altar in her room and I feel a little better about it all.