I have long been a fan of curries and Indian food.  After the tsunami hit Sir Lanka, my parents moved over their to do relief work (they are pretty cool).  We had the privilege of getting to visit them.  We spent a month there, it is an amazing country.  So much natural beauty, wildlife, and culture.  But one of the highlights was definitely the food.  We really didn’t tire of the variety of curry dishes.  Our whole family LOVES curry, so I actual make some sort of curry dish and rice about once a week.

My kids favorite dish at an Indian restaurant is the dessert.  After growing up in the South Pacific (Papua New Guinea), I can’t get enough coconut milk.  So, this is my version of rice pudding.  Lots of cardamon and sweet coconut.

Spiced Coconut Rice Pudding
2 cups cooked basmati rice
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
6 cardamon pods crushed
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup each sliced almonds and raisins (optional)

Remove the black seeds from inside the cardamon pod, crush them with a mortar and pestle. In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients.  Cook on medium heat for about 20 mins, do not bring to a rolling boil, just simmer.  The mixture will thicken.  Remove the bay leaf.  Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Cardamon Pods

For this little feast, I really only made two of these dishes from scratch (and no one even knew), so really there was hardly any work involved.  Thank you World Market!  Here’s what I bought: Puppodoms, Coconut Milk, Chana Masala (Chick Pea Curry), Mango Chutney, Tandoori Rice, Milk Curry Paste, Tandoori Seasoning, and Basmati Rice.

I also picked up these traditional hammered stainless steal serving dishes.

Broccoli Coconut Curry
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 tbsp. Mild Curry Paste
1/2 cup water
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1 large head of broccoli, cut into bite sized flowers
1/2 cup coconut milk

In a large fry pan or wok,saute the garlic and onion in the oil until they are tender.  Add the curry paste and cook for 1 min.  Add the water and stir.  Now add the bell pepper and broccoli.  Cook on medium heat, covered for about 10 mins (or until the broccoli is cooked to your liking).  Add the coconut milk, stir and remove from the heat.  Serve with rice.

Beef or chicken can easily be added to this curry dish, just cook the meat after the onions and garlic.  And if you are not a broccoli fan, substitute the vegetables for ones you prefer.  

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