Can a blog wither from neglect, die, and return from death? If so, is it then reborn a new blog? Or is it un-dead, a zombie blog? Limbs askew, irises washed away from its eyes, mouth dripping the blood of other once healthy blogs? (I recently watched Train to Busan, maybe it shows?) These are minor thoughts I’m considering since having to tussle with my domain host after letting my renewal for this here blog lapse a few months ago. 2018 was a rough year for me.
But the blog is back. It and I both are decidedly more alive in 2019.
I saw this snack during a hazy scroll through Instagram last year. The dish was served at a diner somewhere in Hong Kong or Taiwan. As soon as my eyes floated across the image it made total sense to me. I wish I’d held onto a link to it to give it proper credit now. Google has since told me there are infinite variations on this dish!
I’ve made it for myself, and I’ve made it for others. And I recently learned it makes a terrific party appetizer for a crowd. The best part is you can make it the day before and keep it in the fridge. It’s delicious when it’s chilled. Obviously you’ve gotta already love a little slime, and if so, it’s supremely satisfying to take a bite of the fresh okra and let the juicy, slick seeds pop between your teeth.
So here’s what you’ll do the next time you want a classy and healthy snack. It’s so simple, I spent more time rooting around for the cutest appropriate plates in my cupboard than I did actually making this. You’ll need just three ingredients: okra, soy sauce, and wasabi.
1) Bring a pot of salted water to boil.
2) Throw in rinsed okra, and cook for just a few minutes. I’d say give it a minute past the point when the color in the okra brightens to a grassy green. Ideally the okra is tender but retains a gentle crunch.
3) Remove okra from the pot and send it straight into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
4) Find your cutest plate, throw okra into it. Then locate a coordinating small dish, into which you’ll pour a bit of soy sauce and squeeze out a little wasabi turd.
5) Et voila. Use a spear of okra to mix the wasabi and soy sauce together, then keep dipping one into the other, and eat!!