Spiced Coconut Rice Pudding and Broccoli Coconut Curry

I'm really excited to go and see the movie the Life of Pi.  So, Sunday morning I visited World Market right when they opened, and because I was one of the first 100 people in the door I got a free movie ticket and a Life of Pi reusable tote. World Market is promoting the Life of Pi with a Sweepstakes with fantastic prizes. A trip to World Market is always like a mini journey to some exotic corner of the world.  This trip to World Market inspired some yummy Indian dishes.  For me, Indian food is about the variety of flavors and dishes and how they all compliment each other. And World Market makes preparing an Indian inspired feast, totally doable.

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.

I love a vegetable curry.  And once again, the coconut milk made an appearance.  This tasty curry is kid friendly and isn't overly spicy.

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.  

Life of Pi is the story of an Indian boy named Pi, a zookeeper’s son, who survives a disaster at sea and is thrown into an epic journey. While adrift in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, he forms an amazing and unexpected connection with another a fearsome Bengal tiger. The movie opened in theaters November 21, 2012. You can watch the trailer for Life of Pi here.

And you should definitely check out World Market's Life of Pi Sweepstakes that runs from 11/17 - 12/28.

• Grand Prize package includes: a dream trip for 2 to India and a $1,000 World Market Gift card. There will also be 3 runner up prize winners that will each receive a $500 World Market gift card!
• If you share the sweepstakes with 5 of your friends (via FB share or email) you can receive 5 additional bonus entries. This is part of the registration process when entering. Users can also enter daily for more chances to win.
• Enter online at http://worldmarketsweepstakes.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/worldmarket?fref=ts

You can find out more about World Markets by following them on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram.

“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™, but all my opinions are my own. http://cmp.ly/3/KqtZiE.”