Silver Lake Stir Fry
They say variety is the spice of life, and we agree! That’s why we decided to put together this exclusive Pride collection, commemorating our state’s rich history of leadership on LGBTQIA+ rights. California has the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender population in the country —2.7 million and counting! Not only that, but 10% of our State Government Legislature identifies as LGBTQIA+. Within California, various cities have become melting pots for those in the Queer community looking for a place to call home; giving rise to gay districts or “gayborhoods”. Here we honor those communities and the pioneers who paved the way for them to exist.
Combining sweet, sour, salty, and savory with just a bit of heat, our Silver Lake Stir Fry is a balanced seasoning blend that perks up food with its relentless brightness. The sweet and sour interplay kicks off the flavors in this blend, going back and forth between lime and vinegar and the caramel notes of demerara sugar. The bold florals from ginger come in behind the lime, and ginger’s own lemony notes add an extra citrus boost. The playful funk of tamari soy powder rings in next, holding up the middle ground with onions and garlic. These hold the door open for the heat; cayenne comes in fast, and red pepper maintains the burn to the end. This blend ends with a nutty crunch of sesame and a little hug of onion from the chives.
We love how the citrus pairs with lighter meats like shrimp, chicken or scallops. You could also enjoy this in a vegetable stir fry as it would be equally at home on tofu or jackfruit. Try it on sweeter vegetables like winter squash or stir a spoonful into pumpkin soup. We also like the tart snap stirred into bean soups or corn chowder, and on trays of hearty roasted vegetables, especially yams or broccoli. Don’t think we’re too crazy, but we also love this seasoning with a creamy pasta sauce over linguine, which gives the opportunity for dairy to round out the flavors in the blend.
Hand Blended Ingredients: Sugar, ginger, sea salt, tamari soy sauce powder, lime juice powder, sesame seeds, apple cider vinegar powder, citric acid, garlic, onion, pepper flakes, cayenne, and chives
About Silver Lake:
Silver Lake, in the southeastern suburbs of Los Angeles, has long been a refuge for those in the LGTBQIA+ community. In the 1930s the area acted as a space where gays and lesbians were able to express their identities. Prominent female impersonator Julian Eltinge built his house in Silver Lake and performed until the city passed laws criminalizing cross-dressing, after which he continued to recount his drag performances to audiences. Silver Lake was also home to Harry Hay, credited with founding the first gay organization, the Mattachine Society. Hay lived and had meetings in Silver Lake at the time the group began in 1950. Kevin Roderick wrote in his eulogy for Hay in Los Angeles that many consider the house located near Silver Lake to be the birthplace of the gay-rights movement
By the 1960s, several gay bars and hangouts – such as New Faces and Black Cat Tavern – had established themselves less than 20 years after Harry Hay had founded the Mattachine Society. In 1967, Silver Lake was the scene of one of the nation’s first gay rights protests after police violently raided the Black Cat where men were seen kissing on New Year’s Eve. The resulting riot predated the Stonewall riots by two years.
Silver Lake’s community blossomed during the gay rights movement of the 1970s as new gay-owned bars and businesses opened and gays and lesbians moved into the neighborhood’s old bungalows and Spanish Colonial-style apartments. The neighborhood was nicknamed the “Swish Alps,” and Silver Lake was promoted by real estate agents as an alternative to West Hollywood. Their slogan: “West Hollywood is Moving East.”
Today, Silver Lake is still home to many LGBTQIA+ families and is seen as having positive ethnic and economic diversity. Most recently, Maebe A. Girl, who is non-binary and uses she/her and they/them pronouns, became the first drag queen ever elected to public office in the United States, due to being elected to the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council.