Superstitions. Aren’t they a funny thing?
My parents labeled superstitions a necessity for human beings since we’re a stupid not always smart kind. We need an illogical reason for us to stop doing something illogical in the first place. Case example, legs shaking. Hello? It’s rude and annoying. Tell people that they’ll shake their wealth away and they’ll stop (except it doesn’t apply to Mr.V). Hanging laundry at night. Where’s the sun, dude? Tell them spirits will attach to their clothes and you guess it, they’ll stop (probably won’t apply to Mr. V either).
I hate to break this to you but one way or another, we’re all superstitious. Yup. Oh, you’ve never crossed your fingers for good luck or touched or knocked on wood?
Like I said, everyone is superstitious.
However, there are some things that I do in life that may come across as superstitious, but really, there is a logical explanation for everything.
I don’t sleep facing the mirror not because I’m afraid my soul will get sucked in but because, at 3am with my untamed hair and unhappiness at my bladder reflected on my face along with my blurred vision, I do look like The Ring.
I try to cook my noodles ‘uncut’ not so that I can have a long life but because I like to slurp them down my mouth. That gives me satisfaction.
I spit after a black cat jumped over my path not to get rid of the bad luck but to get rid of the bug that flew in when I opened my mouth so big to yell in fright.
See, all logical explanations.
There is one rather important superstition I have that is a matter of life and death. Ok, I probably have hundreds of food related superstitions like the fact that I have to feed my body fried chicken once a week or one spicy meal a day or I’ll get sick. But let’s just stick to one now, shall we?
Curry powder must be added to beef stew. Must!
I mean look, if I don’t eat the beef stew, I’m going to starve. If I starve, I’m going to die. I have to eat the beef stew to live. But guys, beef stew is just…… stew. Eww. But curried beef stew, now that’s stew worth risking your life for. It’s still a matter of life and death. Only now I need to not stuff myself with it and die overeating.
Quick Recipe Serves 6-8
what you need:
2.5 lb beef, chuck
2 medium onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 medium carrots, sliced
8-10 small yellow or red potatoes (about 1 lb), diced
2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 cups frozen peas
12 small Roma tomatoes, cut in thin wedges
5 cups beef broth or water
3 tbs curry powder
1 tbs dried parsley
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 bay leaves
Salt and black pepper to taste
directions:
1. In a large pot over medium high heat, pour enough oil to thinly coat the bottom and sear the beef until brown in batches. Set them aside.
2. In the same pot, add 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the onions over medium high heat. Add the garlic and carrots.
3. Once the carrots are slightly browned, add the potatoes, chickpeas and peas, half the tomatoes, seared beef, broth or water and all the spices. Bring the stew to a boil.
4. Once boiled, simmer covered on low for 2 – 3 hours until beef is tender to your liking. Put the remaining tomatoes in 15 minutes before it’s done. If you like your stew thicker, add some flour. Mine is perfect like this especially the help from the potatoes. Skim half or all the oil if you want to (I don’t). Remove the bay leaves and serve.
Notes:
1. We all know how versatile stew can be. Replace or add your favorite vegetables like green beans, eggplants, snap peas, mushrooms, cauliflower, or broccoli.
2. I like all my vegetables soft. If you want some of them slightly crunchy, simmer half the vegetables in the beginning and put the rest in later.
3. I usually cook a large batch of stew and freeze them by portion size.
PS: In March, the Baha’is will fast starting March 2nd for 19 days from sunrise to sunset. Stew is usually our go to dish for breakfast during the fasting month since it’s ‘liquidy’ therefore easy to force down our stubborn, sleepy esophagus. Oh, and Happy Ayyam-I-Ha to all my fellow Baha’is.
My last post: Peanut Cookies
How are you superstitious?
