MEAT LOAF

Memories of childhood ........ Meat Loaf

My kids don't like mince in any form except as burgers.  So this was a form to feed it to them

Ingredients

500 gms Mince 
2 onion chopped small, sauted
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
2 slices bread made into crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 red pepper chopped small
1 green onion chopped
1 tbsp corriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp barbeque sauce

Mix all the above ingredients to combine well

2 hard boiled eggs - sliced
3 slices cheese
2 tbsp barbeque sauce

Grease a loaf tin and place half the mince mix at the bottom
Place the sliced hard boiled egg on top of this.
Place the cheese slices over the egg.
Cover the egg - cheese mix with the balance mince, making sure to enclose the filling properly.
Top the bake with ketchup or barbeque sauce
Bake at 200 C for 40-50 min

Serve with a green salad

GRILLED CHICKEN

The secret to this grilled chicken is beer 

Take your favourite spices - I used cumin, pepper, chilli powder and mix them up.

Mix it up with some oil, chopped onions, chopped garlic and fresh coriander leaves.

Mix in the beer slowly, whisking as you go along.

Pour the marinade over the chicken and keep aside for an hour for flavours to develop and blend.

Grill the chicken legs on a barbecue or in the oven grill till juices run clear.

Serve with grilled potatoes and sour cream, steamed vegetables

WARM POTATO SALAD

Beautiful flavours, goes well with grilled chicken

You will need - potatoes, bacon, onions sliced

Dressing - olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, tbsp of sugar, italian seasoning, englishmustard, bacon drippings

Topping - fresh corriander leaves

Cut up potatoes into cubes, toss with salt and pepper and some olive oil, till well coated.
Put on a greased tray, in the oven, at 200 c for 20 mins or till done
Give it 5 min in grill mode to get colour on them.

While potatoes roasting,  fry the bacon in a little oil, drain and keep aside.  Saute the sliced onions in the same oil, alongwith a pinch of sugar and salt.

To make dressing take 3 tbsp bacon drippings and add in all other ingredients.  Whisk till thickened.

Add in the warm potatoes, chopped up bacon, onions and fresh corriander.  Toss till all coated well.

Serve warm with grilled chicken.

CHANDNI CHOWK - FOOD DELIGHTS

I can't even tell you about the food you can find here.  The variety is amazing.  Just posting pics of a few items.

DAULAT KI CHAAT 

Be prepared to be totally confused.  This is unlike any chaat you would have eaten.  It has nothing to do with salt, sour or spicy.

This is a fluffy mildly sweet dish. Does'nt even remotely taste like anything I have eaten in India.  I just can't describe it.  The closest I could think of was beaten egg whites - but the seller promises me there is no egg in this.  Its just pure milk.

This dessert is made only in winters.  Cream and milk are whisked continuously till a fluffy cloud like mix is formed.  The top layer has saffron mixed into it and is decorated with slivers of pistachio.

This is then sold with khoya [condensed milk] and dusted with unrefined or brown sugar 

Legend says that this mix is beaten to froth under a full moon and the morning dew helps it set.  Romantic.

The first taste gives you a sensation of illusion.  There but not there. It dissolves immediately and is gone before you can realise it.  Then you are left with the underlying flavours of the khoya, pistachio and sugar.

A treat everyone must try at least once.

CHANDNI CHOWK - IMAGES OF KINARI BAZAAR AND SISGANJ

Chandni Chowk - a beautiful place to explore.  Different lanes of the most amazing treasures, food, jewellery.  A place you can get so mesmerized in, that you could spend the entire day without realising where time went.  

These are just some images of my trip there.  Waiting for the next day out to Chandni Chowk

The bylane of Kinari Bazaar are a delight for anyone getting married.  Beautiful borders for use on sarees, suits, everything that you could possibly need for festivals or weddings.  This is near right next to Paranthe Wali Gali, about a 7 min walk from the Metro Station.

Some art jewellery

Beautiful tassles

 Some odds and ends.  These were being strung up to make necklaces for use as straps on blouses.

How Beautiful is that - I want a kamarband with this.

SNICKERS CAKE

No one could fault you for thinking this is a snickers bar, but look again - its a snickers cake :)

When you want to indulge your craving for sweet and salty, goey, chocolaty then make this one.  I guarantee it won't last too long

Ingredients

1. Pound Cake
2. Caramel - you can use the recipe on this page
3. Peanuts
4. Chocolate Ganache
5. Chocolate Icing

                  75 gms sugar
            20 gms flour
            3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
            115 ml milk
            115 gms butter, softened
            75 gms chocolate chips, melted
 

In a small saucepan, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, and milk and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Boil until thickened like a thinned pudding. Remove pan from heat. Cool completely in the refrigerator or freezer.

When chocolate flour mixture is cooled, beat the butter until creamy. 

Beat in the cooled chocolate mixture until well combined fluffy. 

Finally add in melted chocolate and beat again until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes. 

ASSEMBLING CAKE

• Slice the pound cake through the centre, horizontally.
• Spread the chocolate icing on the top of the cake, making a 1" layer keeping the sides slightly higher than the centre.
• Spread some on the sides of the cake to smoothen it out.
• Mix the caramel with crushed peanuts and spread over the chocolate layer
• Keep in the fridge to set
• Pour the Chocolate ganache over the cake, covering the sides, and leave to set.
• Once chilled, cut and enjoy

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Chocolate Ganache

• 300 gms chopped chocolate
• 200 gms cream
• 1 tbsp butter

1. Heat butter and cream together till warm and butter melts.
2. Pour over the chopped chocolate and stir to mix all.
3. Keep to cool to room temperature.

POUND CAKE

A beautiful moist and buttery cake.  Can be eaten plain or with ice cream.

Normally a pound cake takes equal proportions of everything - flour, butter, eggs but this version is lighter.  

3 eggs at room temperature

3 tablespoons milk at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

150 grams sifted flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

150 grams granulated sugar

185 grams butter, softened

1. Prepare the cake tin - I used a loaf tin, buttered the sides and lined the base with parchment paper.
2. Weigh the flour after sifting.
3. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl - that is the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
4. In a separate bowl lightly beat the eggs, add in the vanilla extract and milk.
5. To the dry ingredients add the softened butter and half the egg mix and beat on low to incorporate both. 
6. Increase beater spead to medium and beat for another minute to aerate the mix
7. Add in the remaining egg mix in two lots, beating well, ensuring to scrape down the sides
8. Transfer to the prepared tin and bake for 60 minutes in a preheated 180 C oven

Remove the cake from the oven and leave in the pan for 10 mins before transfering to a wire rack to cool.

This cake normally has a crack on the top so don't worry about it.  If, while baking you find, it is turning too dark, cover with a piece of foil.