Bibliophage

Days since acquiring LA Public Library card: 6
Pages read: 1,354
Books checked out: 5
Books checked back in: 5
Books on hold: 7

How did I live here six months without a library card? I love libraries with an irrational love. Actually, it's quite rational to love accessible books (I think so, anyway), but...the library still makes me drool. And feel inadequate because I will never be able to read even a measurable percentage of the books they house. Even if you only count the ones in English. That are still in print. That don't contain the word "petulant".

Must...keep...reading....

What is this, a food blog?

There I was, out on the balcony, crochet hook stuck behind my ear (I forgot it was there), with a bowl of chickpea curry, a damp cloth, chopsticks and a camera.

"What is the crazy gringa doing?" wondered the neighbors. "But it's magic hour," I protested.

I found this recipe on an arduous expedition through Madhur Jaffrey's "World of the East Vegetarian Cooking." It takes you through Asia without the tertiary fever, shoddy faux-ethnic souvenirs, or cow-induced traffic jams. (Yes, it's that quaint.)

Sweet 'n' Sour Okra with Chickpeas

3/4 pound fresh okra
oil for frying
1 t whole black mustard seeds
8 cloves minced garlic
1 t ground cumin
2 t ground coriander
1/2 t ground turmeric
1/8 t cayenne, or to taste
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained (reserve the liquid if you like)
salt to taste (omit if using canned chickpeas)
2 T tamarind paste*
1 T sugar

Wash okra, trim the ends and slice into 1/3-inch rounds.

Heat the oil in a skillet over a medium flame. Add the mustard seeds and wait for them to sizzle. Add the garlic and stir until barely brown. Now add the okra, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne. Fry for about a minute. Add a scant cup water, or the liquid drained from the chickpeas. Cover and simmer on low until okra is almost done -- about 5 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas, salt, tamarind and sugar. Simmer another few minutes until the sauce is reduced to the desired consistency.

Serve over Basmati rice. Drink IPA. Enjoy the sweet, the sour, the perfect marriage of vegetable and legume. (Actually, okra is a fruit. But it still works.)

*Tamarind paste: worth keeping around! A little goes a long way, it lasts forever, and it's delicious stirred into lemonade (1 tsp to 8 oz lemonade or to taste).