Simple Recipe of the Day: Chocolate Balls

My belated mother did not specifically teach me how to cook. I learned by observing her cooking in the kitchen. And then came a phase where I experimented. Once, I made water guava's leaves soup with milk. Horrendous, isn't it? Yet, for a kid, it was a fun thing to make and I ate it willingly (thankfully, I did not get food poisoning). I also remember digging cassava with my brothers from our garden, we made some kind of bonfire to cook it. I remember my mom scolding us because the cassava was still young, so the root was very, very small. (up to now I still believe that she was a bit mad because we did not leave her any. Unlike most people, my mom and I prefer slim, young cassava roots. They are a bit hard and chewy. We do not like thick ones, because they tend to be soft.)

My mom loved to make complex dishes. And I helped her, not because she asked me to, but because I wanted to. When I was in elementary school, I think we made so many risoles, nastar, lumpia, kroket, bolu gulung--rolled cake with cream/buttercream inside (even until now, I dislike it, I think I had too many when I was a kid!), blackforest cake (I groaned, always did, whenever my mom announced that she was making this cake. She made this for every birthday and great occasions), seafood dishes, and ohhh so many more. My repertoire back then was limited. Until I was 12, I could only make simple soups, sambal (my mom told me I made the best sambal. Strange, because I don't particularly like spicy food.), fried beancurd and tempe and eggs. I loved making puddings (they're very simple to make, right? I never fail at making them!) and chocolate balls. 

Children can make this easily, but I think adults should supervise. Else, they'd lick their hands and fingers a lot. (Yeah, I was guilty for this!)

Simple and Easy Chocolate Balls!
You will need: 
- 150 gr Marie crackers, crushed. I used a blender because I do not have a food processor. Feel free to use a processor. Or, if you're in a lousy mood, use mortal and pestle to crush the crackers. :D
- 250 gr chocolate condensed milk (give or take, you might need to add or subtract a bit in order to get a perfect consistency)
- 1 tbsp rum essence (or Jamaican rum). I am making these for my kids, so, essence should suffice. You can use other essences, such as vanilla, mint, cherry, etc. Adjust the essence if you want a stronger/milder flavor.
- Chocolate rice (colorful ones are more pleasing to the eye!). You can also use chopped nuts for this. But hey, I am lazy. Chocolate rice should do it.

 Combine the milk and rum essence to the crushed crackers until it forms a thick, sticky paste. Form balls (use a plastic sheet or clingwrap to do this, it will be easier) and roll them on chocolate rice. You can put some on the fridge for an hour or two if you want a firmer dough.

Aye, it's done!