Midweek Curry
Seeking hotspots and gateways to the virtual world as we go about our everyday lives, can lead us to feel detached and oblivious to what is right in front of us.
I stopped to talk to a woman doing a survey in the street yesterday and I realised that I knew her from a local networking group. It wasn’t until I got home that I realised we were FB ‘friends’, yet I knew very little about her.
If this is my experience as an adult, how is this scenario for our children? Already I hear stories of teens who are basing their self-esteem on the number of likes achieved on a social media post, or who have ‘Friends’ who may not even say hello in the school corridors. It’s must be confusing to try and work out how these 2 worlds operate….the 1 hard enough to navigate back in my day.
It is though, a double-edged sword that is difficult to ignore. Without this virtual world, my building of the FFF would not have happened this quick, so for that, I am grateful. But it’s probably not until you unplug, and totally connect and tune in to what surrounds you that you realise the hold the virtual world has.
Connecting to those ‘real’ things make me feel balanced, that everything is OK and that life is good. Getting out in nature, forgetting what I ‘needed’ to do to play a game with the kids or setting aside the bottomless list of to-dos and doing something for me. (Funnily enough, the list is still there when I get back!)
In connecting with others and ourselves we connect inwards to our hearts’ true desire and not what is going on in our heads; Which can be logical and often fuelled with beliefs of what we feel we ‘should’ do. If we do this, it is the best example we can show our youngsters.
As half term starts, I intend to connect with my immediate world and look forward to unplugging a little… I hope you will enjoy that too!
Happy holidays! Lisa
FUSS FREE MID WEEK CURRY
Serves 2-3
2 tbsp Patak’s curry paste (Madras, Korma, Rogan Josh)
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp grated ginger root
1 red or green chilli, sliced (optional seeds in or out!)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
200g mushrooms, chopped into quarters
200g potatoes, diced
200g frozen spinach
1 large ripe tomato, chopped
200 ml water
2 tbsps olive oil
Optional prawns/chicken/chickpeas
1. Put the olive oil into a medium-sized pan on a medium heat.
2. Add the ginger and chilli, and fry for a couple of minutes, then add the onion and frying until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms to the pan, and fry on a high heat to extract the water for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the tomato, curry paste, and stir. Add the potatoes, spinach (frozen)and add the water. If you are using chicken or chickpeas add them at this point and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are cooked. If it is too thick add a bit more water.
4. Once the potatoes are cooked and you are nearly ready to serve, add the prawns. If they are already cooked, just warm them through until piping hot, for a minute or 2. If they are raw, cook them for 5-7 minutes until they turn from blue to pink and cooked through.
5. Serve with boiled rice. Enjoy!
With this curry I would usually use, mushrooms and a red pepper, so feel free to mix up what you use by clearing out the fridge in the process! I would halve the amount of spinach I use if doing mushroom and pepper and omit the potato.