death to AI slop peddlers
Ok, first, a couple beginner mistakes to avoid:
No grains. Don’t go adding rice or quinoa to your chili.
Add beans. There’s only one state that’s allowed to make chili without beans, and it’s not Texas. It’s the state of Cincinnati.
Don’t use black beans. Just don’t.
TVP has a better texture for chili than tofu. Tofu doesn’t pick up the flavor and will break down way too much.
No Garlic! People think garlic and onion always go together, not true.
Don’t forget the bay leaf (Especially don’t forget to remove them after cooking). Aroma is very important.
Coarse ground peppercorns are not fun to find while eating soft beans and veggies. Fine pepper.
Most Worcestershire sauce contains fish, even if it’s not listed.
Dry spice isn’t just a cute name. Powders burn if you add em before the liquids.
Here are some tips:
Whipped coconut cream with a bit of apple cider vinegar makes a pretty good sour cream.
Diversify your beans. Add some dark and light kidney beans, some fatty beans with some lean beans.
Diversify your chilies. Get some dried chili in there with some roasted peppers, paprika powder, they add different things.
Sauteed onions, fresh onions, and onion powder all have distinct flavors. Mix em up.
Salt in three parts. While sauteing. While simmering. Before serving.
Aromatics go in the dry pan (Whole spices, herbs, peppercorn) take em out and then grind em.
Here’s the recipe:
2 cans beans
1 can corn
1 can roasted tomatoes
Bag frozen peppers and onions
1 packet chili seasoning
1 small can chili paste
(I used to be a professional chef, then I got long COVID. My recipes got a lot more streamlined since then.)
edit: clarification, Bay leaves go in at the start and get REMOVED afterwards.
I love bay leaves but I’m confused if you mean to add bay at the end? I typically add about 6 dried bay leaves when boiling a bag of dried beans and pluck the leaves out before putting other stuff in. I know other people who can’t tell the difference so they never use them, which I can only account for as a genetic difference.
My bad: Don’t forget to remove em afterwards. In my area we only get em dried, so if you forget about em they make an unpleasant experience when you find em.
Thanks for the tips, inspiring me to make chili asap o7
yim yum
you’re not even close to baseline
Beans
More Beans
Cubed firm tofu
Bell Peppers
Sliced carrots (occasionally)
Onions
Canned tomatoes
Chili powder
I know it’s not the main complaint but…the secret to chili is you can add whatever you want. You don’t need need a particular recipe – just some tomatoes (fresh or canned) and a bag of dry beans. Ideally you should also have a bunch of peppers, garlic and onions. Soak the beans overnight if you have the time and change the water before boiling, but you can go straight to boiling them if you can’t pre-soak. You might put some bullion in, but don’t add anything else until the beans are almost done. Acidic ingredients like tomatoes will hinder softening and over-cooking will reduce the flavor of other things added early.
If you fry the onions/garlic before adding them, they’ll give you an extra layer of flavor, but that’s optional. Chop everything while you wait for beans.
Anyway, when the bean are soft, check that there’s only enough liquid to cover the beans. Pour off excess and reserve in case you want to add it back later. Then dump chopped stuff in pot: tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers (fresh, dried, or canned: examples: chipotle in sauce, poblanos, anchos, serranos, jalepenos), and whatever else you want – even if it isn’t considered ‘proper’: squash, tofu, celery, corn, or whatever. You can add a bit of oil for body. When that stuff is cooked, add spices such as cayenne, paprika, chipotle, powdered chili (note that sometimes ‘chili powder’ refers to just chilis and sometimes is mostly salt with a mix of spices). If using black pepper and fresh cilantro, add those last to retain maximum flavor.
This is the best veggie/vegan chilli I’ve made, and I make it in huge batches each fall when the eggplant is cheap. Go crazy and add some extra chilli too, its from the BBC and thus made approchable for the british palate (Read - Not very spicy).
Heres the recipe card
Burt Eggplant Chili
1 aubergine
1 tbsp olive orremovedseed oil
1 red onion, diced
2 carrots, finely diced
70g puy or green lentils
30g red lentils
400g can kidney beans
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
400g can chopped tomatoes
20g dark chocolate, finely chopped
¼ tsp chilli powder
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cinnamon
800ml vegetable stock
Half lime, juiced
To serve brown rice tortilla chips mashed avocado, yogurt or soured cream, grated cheddar, roughly chopped coriander (optional)
Method
Step 1 If you have a gas hob, put the aubergine directly onto a lit ring to char completely, turning occasionally with kitchen tongs, until burnt all over. Alternatively, use a barbecue or heat the grill to its highest setting and cook, turning occasionally, until completely blackened (the grill won’t give you the same smoky flavour). Set aside to cool on a plate, then peel off the charred skin and remove the stem. Roughly chop the flesh and set aside.
Step 2 In a large pan, heat the oil, add the onion and carrots with a pinch of salt, and fry over a low-medium heat for 15-20 mins until the carrots have softened.
Step 3 Add the aubergine, both types of lentils, the kidney beans with the liquid from the can, soy sauce, tomatoes, chocolate, chilli powder, oregano and the spices. Stir to combine, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to very low. Cover with a lid and cook for 1½ hrs, checking and stirring every 15-20 mins to prevent it from burning.
Step 4 Remove the lid and let the mixture simmer over a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 mins until you get a thick sauce. Stir in the lime juice and taste for seasoning – add more salt if needed. Serve hot over rice with whichever accompaniments you want!
Used to be a huge fan of pickuplimes before she monetized and paywalled 95% of her recipes.
stews don’t have recipes, that’s a lie by the french to make you buy more cookbooks, you can just put stuff in the pot
Gonna just say it’s worth it to start with the dried chili pods and make the chili paste base from scratch (it’s worth the time to do it because you can make large batches, it’s really not that much extra effort). Just look up a ratio of chilis and modify the spicy chilis to you liking.
My chili recipe tends to be what I have lying around but generally
Onion Gaelic Black beans Chick peas Rotel (or Diced tomatoes and jalapenos) Corn Lemon Juice Chili powder Cumin Paprika Smoked red pepper powder (I make this in the oven with a cast iron aluminum lined for fire) Veggie broth Tomato paste
