Rum Balls

There was only a few dishes that I could make as a kid. I felt so proud as if I have accomplished something great by making a dish to the school fair. However there were some experiments that I just wish I could forget. Everytime someone from my childhood mentions how I have grown up and now can cook, my dad tells this one story. A story I would rather forget.
But after reading Trupti's post about her devious darlings, I thought well I should be really laughing about it now. And I am now. Well now you are wondering what this story is all about. Well it started when I was about 12 or 13 when I thought I had already out grown the need for adult supervision. So when my parents weren't at home (and my 15 year old bro was 'da man of da house'), I decided to make toffee.
Toffee is caramalised sugar and is a favourite at kids parties (why wouldn't it be! it is basically just sugar). And after hearing the recipe from my friend (who had made it herself) okay this can't be that hard, I'll make it. Well it is basically making a sugar syrup that with solidfy. And when hearing the recipe I thought I would know when this point was. But in reality, I burnt it. This was the point where brother dear came in going, what's the smell? with me replying 'nothing' and thus he returned to watching tv.
Well since I had burnt it I thought I couldn't do anything with so I thought I would pour it into the trash. And I did this when it was hot! And long and behold, our plastic trash can started melting! Lucky it didn't melt the whole thing otherwise I would be trouble.
So from that day onward, my dad repeated that story to EVERYONE. Everyone who heard the trash can melting story told me to stay away from kitchen for ever, even when I was 20. Of course I'm not the type of person that actually listens to what any one says and kept on going (and ended up here! :)) Well that experience did scare me of cooking a little but not entirely. Not enough to stop me making Rum Balls (without rum, a PG version) that involved no heating element!
These are a really yummy kid's food but adults are kids at heart and love them anyway. I have heard you can coat these with chocolate but never tried them as I was scared of the stove for a good couple of years after that. But as I had a small get together on the weekend I thought it would be a good idea to make them again.
This recipe I usually don't use measurements as I can tell if it enough or not but this time I did so that I can share it with you guys.
So I am sharing this recipe with you on the condition you never repeat the trash can melting story or mention it to anyone (including me!) :)

Rum Balls

Ingredients
1 250g packet Marie biscuits- or other plain biscuits.
1/3 cup desiccated coconut- you can add up to 1/2 cup to suit your taste.
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 395g can sweetened condensed milk
extra desiccated coconut for rolling.

Method

1. Powder the biscuits in food processor. If this has some small bits it is okay.
2. To this add the coconut and cocoa powder and mix.
3. Add the condensed milk and mix until well combined
4. Now wet your hands a little and roll a small ball of the mixture. Then roll in coconut coat.
5. Repeat the last step until you have used all the of the mixture.

Kanpur Chapathi

I know what you are thinking. It is just like all the other adventures I embark upon. After the inital 'honeymoon' phase of about a week, and the excitment dies down, another hobby of mine gets put onto the shelf of unfinished projects. I guess food blogging isn't really a project, but an ongoing hobby, I thought I would stick to it for more than I have.

Don't get me wrong, when ever I have time I will read all the other blogs but writing mine is bit of a pain. As I don't have access to this blog at work, my options are limited to writing all of this from home. And I have to admit I am a big couch potato. Thus I usually just come home and sit in front of the TV. However now that I have a laptop I am doing this whilst sitting in front of the TV.

But I'll admit to the real reason that I have continued to write these blogs. Actually there is two. It is a brilliant way to index all the recipes that I have and like. Currently I have a big folder that I have just printed off recipes for various sources and stored them in. This is good as I can also search for recipes I like.

But the more important reason is that even though I have written only a few posts, I am getting apprieciation from people that I know and people that I don't know. Friends are using the recipes I put up and strangers (well my new 'friends' from the blogging world' are giving me encourgement. People like Saffron Hut thought my choice of blog name was good! :)

Anyway the real purpose of this blog, Kanpur Chapathi. The point where my mum wants me to make a dish as she thinks I can make it better or doesn't know how to make it, is the point that I truly believe that I have mastered the skill of cooking (well not mastered but aleast I can say I can now cook!) This is one dish that my mum loves.

I came across this for the first time when I went to India. I had visited many of my husband's family (for the first time) and we visited one my husband's cousin's who made this for me. And I just ate as many as I could with no hesitation (in Telugu there is a saying, "siggu ley kunda"). I soon found out that even my mother in law can make this. So when she came over to visit, it was the first thing I asked her to make.

So back to the actual dish. It is a quite a simple dish if you think about. It is a bit fiddly but worth it. And as a bonus you don't really have to make a curry to go along with it.

Kanpur Chapathi

Ingredients
2 cups Wholemeal flour (Atta)
1 cup fresh fenugreek leaves- chopped.
1 cup fresh or frozen coconut
1 1/2 cups onions - finely chopped. When I mean finely I mean finely as you won't be able to roll it out the chapathi if it is not finely.
salt
chilli powder
oil

Method

1. Mix the atta as would for normal chapathi. This means add a bit of salt and enough water to make a firm dough.
2. Mix salt, chilli powder and oil into a smooth paste.
3. Mix the onions, fenugreek leaves and coconut in a bowl.
4. Roll out two lumps (about the size of lemon) of the dough into a puri size (this is probably about the size of a CD)
5. Spread the salt, chilli paste onto the two puris.
6. Put a little bit of the fenugreek leaves, coconut and onions mixture onto one of the puris.
   
7. Now take the other puri and put it on top of the filled puri and seal it. This part is a bit tricky but with a little practice it ain't too bad.
8. Now roll it out and toast it on a pan over a low heat on both sides.
   
   And after making this, it was sooooo inviting that I forgot to take a photo of the finished product!
9. When eating it, you can split it and put some lemon juice. It is sort of up to you. I like it with though.