about a year ago, i was watching the dr. oz show and he was talking about alzheimer’s disease.
**side note: now for those of you who do not know me, i tend to have a bit of memory lapse every now and again. sometimes it worries me because i completely forget what i said 5 minutes ago and greg will remind me and i will say, “i said that?” or how about yesterday when i intentionally put my water into the fridge to cool it and then wandered around for the next 20 minutes irate and demanding, “where is my water???” ha. i worry myself sometimes…**
so i was particularly interested in dr. oz’s tips on preventing alzheimer’s. he had 3 tips (or more, i cannot remember) hehe. but the one i DO remember was cumin. apparently this spice does wonders for the brain.
what did i do next? i immediately went to a local indian food restaurant and dined on cumin. rational response, right?
since then, i have been IN LOVE with indian food. not only are the spices so flavorful, making each dish incredible bite-for-bite, but i have found that most ethnic foods have some of the best selections for vegetarians.
i wanted to be able to start creating some of these dishes at home so i decided to tackle one of my favorites: bhindi do piazza (okra and onions). and since it is that time of year where okra is in season, it’s time to visit your local farmers’ market, grab a bag full and play around in the kitchen!
my version of bhindi do piazza.
Okra and Onions Recipe
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 15-20 ladyfingers (okra), cut into 1 inch pieces (stems and ends discarded)
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch cube ginger, minced
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp tumeric
- 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- handful of cilantro, chopped (did you know that cilantro is also referred to as coriander leaves? look at me, i’m getting alton brown on all of you!)
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- salt to taste
- brown rice to serve with (optional)
- Heat 1 Tbs. oil in saucepan on medium heat. Add okra and saute for approx. 5-7 minutes or until a little bit tender yet still firm. Remove from pan and place on plate.
- Add remainder oil (1 Tbs) into saucepan and throw in onions and saute for 3 minutes or until translucent. Add in garlic and ginger and allow to cook through (1-2 minutes).
- Put the tomatoes and all the spices into onion mixture (cumin, cayenne and tumeric). Stir until aromatic (no more than 10 seconds).
- Put okra back into the pan and heat up for another 1-2 minutes until hot.
- Throw in the lemon juice and cilantro at the last minute. Give it a quick stir.
- Season with salt to taste if needed. Serve immediately on top of brown rice.
made this..it rocked