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What better way to enjoy the new year than with some new tastes.  Here is a really easy recipe to try out on friends and family who are looking to spice things up a bit:

1. Before you start cooking, prepare the following: 500g of chicken breasts cut into thin slices, 2 tablespoons of  garlic finely chopped (substitute with 1 tsp of garlic flakes soaked in a little water for 20 minutes or until soft if you don’t have fresh garlic available), grate 1 lemon (you will only use the grated rind and not the juice).
2. Heat 15 ml of cooking oil, olive oil, or peanut oil in a large saucepan.
3. When the oil is hot, add about 2-3 tablespoons of thai red curry paste and stir for about 30 seconds.  (If you prefer a stronger, hotter experiment with the amount of curry paste used until it’s to your liking).
4. Add the chicken and stir until it is completely covered by the curry paste.
5. Add 1 teaspoon of ginger, 1 teaspoon of tumeric, and the garlic you prepared beforehand.  Stir-fry for a few seconds and turn the heat down to low.
6. Add 400ml of coconut milk (which can be replaced with cream if you want a richer curry), the grated lemon rind and 2 teaspoons of sugar.  Make sure that you get no lemon juice into the pan otherwise the cream will curdle … the dish will still taste delicious but look very unappetising!
7. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the dish has reached a creamy consistency.
8. Serve with jasmine rice or pad thai noodles for an authentic thai feel.  (This recipe should easily feed four adults.)
9. Garnish each serving with a couple of fresh basil leaves.

This year I am resolved not to make any lofty, sentimental resolutions based on how miserably I managed to screw up the last one (although if I was, my first one would probably be never look back on your life at 3am after too much champagne, too little sleep and reading a love letter from a man whose heart you have broken).

At 28 I know there is not much I can do about changing the essential me and, in all honesty, am pretty content with who I am but not necessarily with how that finds expression.  So I have decided that 2010 is to be a year of revolutions rather than resolutions.

To this end I have invested in a magical little book by Michael Norton entitled “365 ways to change the world.”  From globalism and consumerism to health issues to environmental concerns, each page covers a practical way in which every individual can begin making a positive impact on the world around them rather than sitting back and whining in self-centredness and despair.

Today’s assignment was simply to set a target for the change I want to see in the world.  Mine is to improve the access that children in the impoverished communities around me have to healthcare, educational support, and recreational facilities so that they can have a chance at a great life.

Archbishop Oscar Romero said:

There is a certain liberation in understanding that we can’t do everything.  This enables us to do something and to do it very well.

 What are you going to do this year?