Coconut Oatmeal Pudding: Learning about Senegal {Around the World in 12 Dishes}

For our next stop in “Around the World in 12 Dishes” we headed to Senegal!  In addition to learning about the endangered African manatee, we also decided to try Sombi (coconut rice pudding), a popular treat made with coconut milk and shredded coconut.  I love arroz con leche, so I was looking forward to trying this coconut-flavored version.  When we had all the ingredients laid out, however, Monkey casually reminded me that he does not like rice and so wouldn’t be having any.

Never mind that he picked out the recipe.  Never mind that he already knew that the recipe had rice in it (thus the name).

And so I had to make a decision – make authentic rice pudding with him, knowing he would refuse to even try it, or make a drastic substitution, altering the very essence of the recipe, in the hopes that perhaps he will grace it by trying a spoonful or two?

Well, given our track record of altering recipes, you can probably already guess the answer.  “What if we used oatmeal instead?” I suggested.

“Oh yeah!” he responded.  “We could do that, Mommy.”  And so we did.  And I must say, it was AMAZING!  Not authentic by any stretch, but nevertheless a positive (and delicious!) experience.

Coconut Oatmeal Pudding

adapted from Saveur

Ingredients

1 can coconut milk (about 2 cups)

1 c unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 c packed brown sugar

1/4 t salt

1/2 t vanilla

1 c quick cooking oats*

1 T fresh lime juice (optional)

*If you don’t have quick cooking oats, pulse rolled oats in a food processor several times until you achieve the desired consistency

Simmer coconut milk, coconut, sugar, salt, and vanilla over medium heat, stirring often, until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes.

Add oatmeal and cook, stirring, until pudding thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in juice, if using; serve warm.

YUM!  In case you are wondering, yes, Monkey did try a few spoonfuls, though Little Monkey and I were the ones that really gobbled it up.

What are you cooking up lately?

Check out the other participating blogs to see what they have been cooking up: Adventures In Mommydom, Afterschool for Smarty Pants, All Done Monkey, Crafty Moms Share, Maroc Mama, Creative World of Varya, Glittering Muffins, Kid World Citizen, Mermaids’ Makings, The Educators’ Spin On It and The Mommy Talks. If you try a dish from Senegal, we’d love to hear about it! You can link up your dish or craft here to share your post on all the participating blogs: