CHOCOLATE CRACKERS

1 cup butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1 ( 11 oz) package nestles milk chocolate chips

40 saltine crackers

1 cup pecans, chopped

Pam

roll aluminum foil in the baking tray and spray with Pam.Lay saltines on foil. Melt sugar and butter together,heat until foamy.Pour mixture over crackers evenly.Put in oven and back 350 degrees for 10 min. Take out and while still hot sprinkle chocolate chips over crackers.Let melt a minute or two and then spread with spoon to coat crackers.Sprincle pecans over this.Let cool and then put in refrigerator until hard.Crack up and put in jar ,Store in a cool place.

NOTE: If I have Walnuts  or almonds  on hand instead of pecans   I substitute,It seems to work.

Christmas at Monarch Liquors

Christmas at Monarch Liquors is always special. There is such excitement in the air.  Glancing around our area reveals neighbours and friends adorning their stores and homes with Christmas wreaths or finding them perched on ladders putting up their Christmas lights. Our store is a hive of activity and the Christmas rush with lots of best wishes shouted out to all is really a place to behold.  I love our Christmas decorations, it adds further cheer to the environment.  Our store shelves are loaded with bottles of liquors for those ready to party their way into the New Year.

This year, I have been thinking about edible gifts and I feel that giving an edible gift  means that the recipient doesnt have to find storage space for your gift; they simply have to eat the gift and savour the moment.  So being in the mood for baking I made some snow balls, cupcakes, gingerbread cookies and chocolate crackers which I took to the store to share with everyone.  I must say they all went down well.

DAAL DHOKRI

DAAL DHOKRI

The dal dhokli is a gujarati speciality.  It is made with toover dal  which is boiled ,liquidised, strained, tempered and then the dhoklis
(diamond shape squares of rolled out dough) are added.  This is a common version of the dal dhokli a one pot meal that is perfect during the
cold months of fall and winter.

In our house how ever, dal dhokli is not simply dal and cut out dough  pieces.  It is a luxurious soup with kachori (wheat flour dumplings
stuffed with a tangy spicy fresh coconut mixture). This dal dhokli is aromatic, and conforting and actually makes one feel warm and
nourished,  The addition of fresh ginger helps the digestion while the coconut takes you away to some beautiful sunny part of the
world….mildly infused with aromatic spices this is an indulgent meal that is very easy to prepare (though preparation takes a bit long).

1 cup daal

2 cups water

Wash the yellow lentils and drain.add 2 cups water and pressure cook 3 whistles

TEMPERING

2 tab sp oil

1 tab sp ghee

1 tea sp mustard seeds

2 dried chili

1/2 tea sp fenugreek seeds

1/2 tea sp jeeru

few leaves limdo

pinch asafoetida

1 small stick cinnamon

3/4 clove

SPICES  for daal

3 tab sp crushed tomatoes

2 tea sp chili paste

1 tea sp ginger paste

1/2 tea sp turmeric powder

2 tea sp sugar

1 tab sp lemon juice

1 1/2 tea sp salt

DHOKRI  /DOUGH:

1 cup wheat fl

2 tab sp gram fl

1/2 tea sp turmeric powder

1 tea sp salt

3/4 tea sp chili powder

3 tab sp oil.

1/2 cup water approx

Kachori

1 cup coconut grated

1/4 tea sp turmeric powder

1/2 tea sp salt

1/2 tea sp chili powder

1/8 tea sp citric acid

lots of cilantro

this will make 1o kachori.

Pressure cook the dal, tomato turmeric  in 2 times as much water as the  dal. Should take about 15 mins or untl the dal is  soft and can be  liquidised (with the stock its cooked in).

While the dal is  cooking, prepare the dough for the dhokli and kachori with the flours,  salt, turmeric, chilli powder. oil and water.  Cover and keep aside.

Now in a spacious plate, place the freshly grated coconut, add cilantro,  lemon juice,  salt and a pinch of turmeric ,chili powder.

Now open the slightly cooled pressure cooker and pour the  dal with the stock it is cooked in,  into a blender (or use a hand held  blender) and blend until totally liquidized.  if you see bits of dal, strain this liquid. This lentil soup makes the base of your dal dhokli.

In a largish pan, temper the waghar ingredients and add the dal  (carefully as it splutters and can scald). bring this dal liquid to a  rapid boil and add the spices, ie salt,chilli/ginger, lemon and sugar then let it simmer gently.  This dal should be failrly watery.

While the dal is simmering away gently, divide half the dough into  very small, marble sized balls and roll these into puris (discs). on  each puri place a half a spoonfull of coconut mixture and then bring up  the edges of the puri to enclose and seal the coconut mix into a stuffed  dumpling,  remove the access dough and continue to make the dumplings  /kachoris.  Gently put immerse the kachoris into the simmering dal ( do  not stir).

Roll out the rest of the dougn into a large thin disc then taking a  knife, cut daigonal strips one way (top to bottom) then slashing these  strips from lef to right (at an angle) to for little diamond shape pieces of dough or dhokli.  Add these to the simmering soup and cook  until the dhokirs look properly cooked.  Garnish with cilantro and  serve.

Stuffed bell pepper

This recipe is very special to me for several reasons, the main one
being that I was taught how to prepare this dish by our elder sister
Geetaben.
Geetaben, or BEN as we fondly and respectfully called her,
was a steady influence in the lives of all of us Kotecha siblings.  To
me, she was like a mother and I can proudly say that she taught me a lot
about life, family and hard work.

I spent most of my teenage years residing with Geetaben in Nairobi,
Kenya where she was always part of some social circle or another.  In
Kenya, entertainment and dinner parties are a part of everyone’s weekly
routine, the ladies spend a lot of time creating wonderful dishes, and
table displays for these parties.  There is always something new and
creative on the table be it food or decor.  My sister was very
particular about how we; her daughters (my nieces), and I portrayed and
presented ourselves.  She ensured we learnt good ettiquette and social
skills and was always on hand to remind us or gently teach us.

Today, my Geetaben is no more, but her influence remains a constant
in my life and I try am emmulate her in as many ways as I can,
constantly reflecting on what she taught us.

About the recipe itself, this stuffed bell pepper and rice dish is popular in
Italy, Greece and some parts of Turkey however, there are variations as
some are poached in chicken stock, some in wine.  It makes an
interesting and filling meal which is also easy on the eye.  I hope you
will enjoy cooking this and more so sampling and savouring it.

Ingredients and method

2 bell peppers

2 table spoon rice

1 tab sp carrots ( cut in cubes)

1 tab sp peas

1/4 tea sp salt

1/2 tea sp chili paste

1/2 tea sp dhanajeeru

cilentro

2 cups tomato soup

1/2 tea sp salt

1 tea sp chilli souce

Step one is to prepare the” chopped” vegetables, wash and soak the rice for about half an hour.

Wash the bell peppers and cut about 1cm from the top. Remove the seeds and the white pith from the peppers.

Place these in a small pan (so that the peppers can remain snugly fitted and upright throughout the cooking process.

In a separate bowl, mix the peas, carrots, rice, salt, dhanajeera and chilli paste then fill the bell peppers with this mixture.  Then pour half the tomato soup onto the peppers and the rest, around the peppers.  Steam/poach this for about 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked.

DINNER AT NEELABEN

It was a blast hanging out with you all.

DIWALI DINNNER AT KP”S