Choco cookie Sandwiches

CHOCO COOKIE SANDWICHES.

 

 

Choco cookie sandwiches my take on the Chocprince..

This week Manu and I have both been transported to our days in Tanzania, much much much younger days; the days of the ChocPrince. I wonder how many of our  East African friends and family remember this awesome confection.

Chocoprince was one of both mine and Manu’s favourites as children and then as grown ups too.  I recall my brother Krishna used to stock these in his shop and would send these to us at every opportunity. I also recall gently peeling of the shiny foil wrapper and taking a bite of heaven.  My niece Minu tells me you can still buy these in England however, she also states, they do not taste like Chocoprince of her childhood. When I was chatting to Minu about my home made chocoprince biscuit, she recalled that Manu (being her favourite uncle), would often buy these for her as a treat  and that the only way to eat this was to bite off the chocolate surrounding the biscuit, separate the sandwich and lick off the hazel nut filling before gorging on the biscuits.

The though of chocoprince actually entered my mind when I had Manu taste some Nutella from the Jar I had brought last week to make a cheesecake.  Manu suggested that the flavour reminded him of chocoprince and we both became a bit nostalgic.  Well, I thought to myself, why not try re-create this biscuit? So I promptly began thinking of how I could make this happen. Well, here I am, sharing the recipe and pictures with you.

Ingredients

12 rich tea

1 table  spoon butter

2 table spoons icing sugar

6 table spoons  nutella

2 cups melted chocolate

few drops vanilla

 

Buttercream (beat the sugar butter and vanilla till creamy and light)

Method

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler (or in the mircowave but careful not to burn it)

spread butter cream on to the  inside of the one cookie and spread Nutella on the to the inside of the other cookie (inside meaning the side that would be flat facing the baking tray)

push the two cookies togetehr sandwiching the buttercream and Nutella.

Now with the help of a chocolate fork, dip the sandwich into the melted chocolate then place this on a cookie rack till the chocolate set

 

 

Apricot rolls

APRICOT ROLLS

 

 

 

I made these crunchy apricot sweets recently, just something to snack on you see.  I wanted something easy a no cook recipe so that I didn’t have to watch for caramelizing  etc, so I looked in the pantry to see what ingredients I could combine to quickly make something sweet, rather quickly.  Well as luck would have it, I saw a can of sweetened condensed milk, some apricots and some biscuits (cookies). These items got me thinking and I decided to experiment, as I often do with food. The result was very pleasing so when my niece Rupel Gokani who lives in London called up the other day telling me she needed a recipe for the temple offering (prasad) I told her about these apricot snacks.  Rupel made these over the weekend and took them to the event; she is extremely creative herself and very talented too. I am sharing the pictures of the recipe that Rupel took whilst making these.. The feedback from London was pretty good so here I present the same recipe to you all and thank Rupel for trying these out and also for the feedback.  Do try these easy no cook sweets…suitable for anyone with a sweet toot

250 grams dried apricots ( chopped small pieces )

250 grams Nice biscuits ( finely crushed)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 table ghee

few drops vanilla essence

icing sugar  ( add as required)

desiccated coconut  as needed

 

 

Mix all the above ingredients until you can form a dough .Shape into about 1 inch balls. Roll each ball in the crushed biscuits, top with desired toppings .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bhat na bhajya

BHAT NABHAJYA

 

 

Now this is a childhood favourite of mine and Manu’s. We both grew up eating these and our moms used to make these often with left over rice. Most folks from East Africa must have grown up eating these for either breakfast.  In our Vithlani household we love all types of bhajias be it daal bhajia vej bhajias and these rice bhajias.  I usually make these bhaat na bhajias on Sunday mornings and our friends and Manu have these with cold beer whilst hanging out in the Jikoni.

The ingredients are very simple. just boiled rice, chickpea flour, yoghurt, garlic and spices.  I love the simplicity of these bhajias and personally prefer these with garama garam chai and green chutney.

Do try these delicious bhajias at home and here is my recipe to help you along.

 

1 cup cooked rice

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 tea spoon garlic paste

1/4 tea spoon ginger paste

3/4 tea spoon salt

1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder

3 green chilies chopped

3 table spoons yogurt

1 tea spoon eno ( fruit salt)

1/4 cup gram flour

1 table spoon oil (for the better)

 

 

Oil for frying

 

In a bowl mix all the above ingredients except oil and eno. keep on the side. Heat the oil, once heated add eno and hot oil in the batter and mix well. Drop small amount of batter in the oil. Bhajyas will float up, turn them until they are golden brown. Serve hot with chatni.

 

MAMRA

MAMRA

 

 

I am certain most gujaratis are partial to a bit of sev mamra. Chickpea noodles fried crisp to which home made mamra (rice crispies) are added along with a few basic spices. Children in our households have grown up eating sev mamra with poori or thepla (sev mamra rolled into the poori) with tea. Manu still eats sev mamra in this manner rolled into the thepla or poori a childhood habit of all the Vithlani children.

My kids had a habit of eating sev mamra as they played and they would want these in a small steel vatki (bowl).  My elder sister Jyoti  knew my children loved these sev mamra and so she would send me coloured mamra which would entice the kids further.  I don’t buy ready puffed rice but make the mamra at home, drying out cooked basmati rice until well dehydrated. All I do is cook the rice then drain it and spread on a tray lined with a tea towel then leave the tray near the window so the moisture evaporates and the rice totally dehydrates.  Once the rice grains feel totally dry to touch, the mamra are ready to deep fry.

The sev (noodles) I make often  as sev is used in our house when I make bhel, Diwali snacks or to send in care packages to friends and family.

I do hope you try this very easy to make sev mamra and here is my recipe.

 

 

 

BURUDISHA

                                                                                                                 BURUDISHA NA MAJI YAMWAJU!!

This weekend I made some Burudisha….if you are not from the Coast of Tanzania you probably haven’t tasted the ever popular Burudisha; a refreshing drink served primarily on the streets. I recall my childhood years and the cries of “eh Burudisha eh Burusdisha” from the vendor.  I used to love this drink and used to have this everyday whilst playing hopscotch or marbles with my friends.

For those of you who are squeamish, let me tell you, this drink was made in a plastic bucket and served in chipped glasses just a bit bigger than the average shot glass.  Burudisha is a drink made with limes or tamarind, water, ice and a little sugar.  A simple chilled drink for those very hot and humid afternoons.

Here is how you make this (no bucket required…you can use a pitcher unless of course you want to recreate the taste of Pemba.

10 limes

1 cup sugar

8 cups water

ice

Squeeze the limes and sugar,mix together until the sugar dissolves. Dilute with water. Taste and adjust the sugar and water according to your taste. Add lots of ice, give it a good stir.

                                                                                                                      TAMARIND JUICE

200 g  tamarind

10 cups water

1 cup jaggery

ice

 Heat 1 cup of water, add tamarind in hot water boil for about 2 minutes. Keep on the side let it cool. Combine tamarind and jaggery , blend into smooth paste. Strain the mixture through a sieve, add water and  ice. Mix well.

Burudisha!!!!