MEATLOAF; A Good Comfort Food For Iftar.

We had this for iftar during our Nisfu Syaaban fasting recently.

Only one quick photo as everyone was waiting to eat :)

Meat loaf is a simple basic easy to make home “comfort” food. It is basic, low in cost and easy to make whilst at the same time, containing very good nutritional values and depending on your kinds of side garnishing, it may in the final presentation be transformed into one healthy nutritious meal for the whole family. It is perfect for iftar as it is not too heavy on you and that helps during tarawih prayers.

The world’s total meat supply was 71 million tons in 1961 but by 2007, it was estimated to be around 284 million tons. Global per capita consumption has more than doubled over that period. Surprisingly, in the developing world, the numbers even rose twice as fast, doubling in the last 20 years suggesting that as our income per capita gets better, so does our diets too. A 2009 projection had stated that global meat consumption is expected to double again by year 2050 to almost 550 million tons per year.

Could there be enough resources for that? Would the environment of tomorrow be able to support human imminent desire for more food? That’s another topic I guess.

Meatloaf has high protein value and protein is one of the basic building blocks of the human body. Muscle, hair, skin, and connective tissue are mainly made up of protein. And if you chose from an organic beef source for your meatloaf, it would also mean that your meatloaf dish may contain a lesser amount of cholesterol too and that makes it healthier. To be frank, I much prefer the “Malaysianized” meatloaf (no offense) over the other alternatives I have tried.

Easy Peasy Malaysianized Meatloaf Recipe:

1 package of creamy soup mix (any flavor you may like)

1 kilogram of lean organic ground beef (usual variant too is perfectly okay)

2 large eggs

1 cup of evaporated milk

3 tablespoons of yellow mustard

3 tablespoons of castor sugar if desired (or you may add some slight ADABI beef curry powder or ADABI Rempah Sup powder instead – and that’s what I did!)

A pinch of salt here and there...

A tip on making the beef well mashed together is by using a full cup of home made breadcrumbs. It would also serves as absorptions for the beef melted fats as you bake later.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Mix the soup mix, ground beef, brad crumbs, egg and milk together. Form the combination into a well packed and greased loaf shaped pan (or just use a non stick pan). Combine the rest of the ingredients and spoon onto the top of the meatloaf (so that you get the spicy taste as you first bite into the meatloaf!). Bake uncovered, for about an hour. When done, take the meatloaf out of the baking pan and place on a serving plate. Let stand for 10 minutes (to cool down) before slicing. Serve with your own style and your own taste side garnishing. ENJOY!

MEATLOAF; A Good Comfort Food For Iftar.