Slow Cooked Lamb Curry & what slow living means to me

I’ve blogged a couple of times recently about feeling overwhelmed and needing to slow down a little. I’ve been making a conscious effort to live a little more slowly. We’ve re-instigated our ‘Slow Sundays’ – taking one day out of our week to switch off and slow down. For us this means putting away the phones and laptops, ditching the to-do list and spending some quality time as a family. I talked a little more in this vlog about what slow living means to me and my family…

Simply Beef and Lamb are running a campaign for Red Tractor Beef and Lamb, encouraging people to get out of the fast lane and slow down. To live slowly and eat slow food. For me, slow food means easy, one pot meals. Cooking from scratch and enjoying the process of making a meal as much as eating it. It’s about quality foods, rather than fast foods. After years of being vegetarian, I’m very particular when it comes to the meat I will buy – looking for the Red Tractor logo guarantees the meat you are buying is farm assured. I love nothing more than getting in the kitchen and rustling up a delicious meal for my family, especially when I have kiddos who love to help me cook.

Slow living works through all areas of life – from encouraging children to have ‘free time’, to reusing or recycling our clothing. It values quality over quantity, and long term benefits over short term gain. It’s something I feel passionate about and really want my children growing up with those principles. The whole ethos fits alongside our home education perfectly, as well as the way we have chosen to live our lives.

With a busy life, what I love most of all is easy, one-pot dishes. Meals that I can make ahead of time so I’m not rushing come dinner time. This lamb curry is a perfect example – I prep it in the morning, leave it in the pan for the afternoon {which also gives the flavours time to intensify} and then reheat through for dinner.

I N G R E D I E N T S

700g diced lamb
5 cloves garlic
2 inch piece of ginger
3 tbsp olive oil
500g cherry tomatoes, quartered
200g red onions, finely sliced
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp coriander
Pinch turmeric powder
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp black pepper
Pinch garam masala
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp chopped mint leaves

M E T H O D

Place the lamb in a bowl with the crushed garlic and ginger, mix and leave for an hour or so.

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the lamb chunks and fry for 5 minutes to seal.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Then stir in the onions and paprika.

Season to taste, lower the heat and cover. Simmer for around 30 minutes.

Mix the coconut cream with the spices and add to the curry, stirring well.

Simmer for another 45-50 minutes.

Garnish with the chopped coriander and mint and serve with rice and naan.