Here is a real crowd pleaser where ever you go and it can be made for those that are the most ardent carnavores to anyone who is a vegetarian or a vegan. This can be made in both veg and non veg options and I am going to show you how.
The choices of protein besides the beans themselves are veggie crumbles. They look like meat when they are not. However they are made out of soy and gluten. They come under the brand names of Morningstar Farms and Bocca. However I like the Morningstar Farms brand a lot better. This is what I use when I make vegetarian chili.
For the non veg meat options I would use 1 lb or 1 kilo of mince. It would be goat, lamb. veal, beef, chicken and turkey. The chicken and turkey is healthier then veal and beef and it is less fat. The types of beans I use just totally depends on my moods.
I use small red beans, red kidney beans, or pinto beans for making this chili.
There is also a choice of seasoning I use for that matter. I have used seasoned salt for the longest and just started using vegtea seasoning last year and I also use adobo. I use one at a time and not all at once.
The choice of chilies that I will use are jalapenos, sarranos, aji amarillos and aji limo. Aji amarillos and aji limo chilies are originally from Peru down in South America. However it tasted very good in this chili.
Look at this link first and make the chili powder and then keep them aside because they also go in to the chili as well. Chili is a spicy soup in a way and this one has a lot of mexican chilies in it. In the recipe link above in my homemade chili powder recipe that it would tell you you can use any type of dried red chili and preferably Mexican. Just make up the chili powder ahead of time before making the chili then you are in business.
I washed and soaked 10 handfuls of beans. Red kidney beans was my bean of choice for today and I normally use pintos. Also a change is very good too once in a while because sameness is totally boring. I put them in a pressure cooker and let them soak for 3 hours. I put the lid on and closed it turned on the burner and waited for the safety button to pop up and set the timer from anywhere to 15 to 20 minutes. When the timer went off I turned off the stove and started to proceed with making the rest of the chili. When the safety button was lowered I opened the pressure cooker and the beans was the way I wanted them nice and soft. Now we can proceed with making the rest of the chili.
I added 1 cookingspoon full of olive oil to the pot. I added 1 onion or shallot cut in half moon slices and caramelized them. In the spirit of Cinco de Mayo which is Mexico’s independance day. Here in Chicago has a large Mexican population and the food and spices are everywhere.
I added 1 aji amarillo cut in to tiny pieces, 3 dashes of Goya adobo or seasoned salt and or vegtea seasoning, 2 bay leaves, 1 pinch each of thyme, oregano, basil, Rosemary, marjarom, culantro, cilantro and cinnamon and gave it a stir. I added the chili powder that I had made up which is for single use only. I added to my mortar and pestle 1 pinch each of black peppercorns, cumin seeds and allspice berries. I added the following in to the mortar and pestle as well 1 broken piece of star anise, 2 cloves, and I ground them to a powder and added them to the spicy mixture in my pot. I grated some nutmeg and chopped 2 cloves of garlic. I stirred and washed and cut either 1 pablano, 1 cubano pepper or 1 green bell pepper and 1 tomato and cooked it until the tomato was semmi soft.
I added the Morningstar Farm veggie crumble or mince, if using mince please use a strainer and place the mince in there then rinse it to remove blood. Brown the mince and add 3 dashes each of balsamic vinegar and maggi or knorr aroma. I stirred and added 3 tbs of tomato paste and the beans turned the flame on low and cooked them for 20 minutes or until the chili got thick.
The chili is ready to consume. You can eat it with crackers if you like, with chapati like Mr. Riaz and I do or with tortillas. My way of eating it is tearing two chipatis in a bowl in to pieces, adding the chili on top and topping it off with plain yogurt.
Wait a minute before you think this is gross when really it isn’t , plain yogurt nearly tastes like sour cream. If you prefer sour cream then it is ok but plain desi yogurt is healthier. It tastes like sour cream but it is full of health benifits.
We get the desi one which is sold at many Indian and Pakistani grocery stores. There are a couple of more options when it comes to chili. You can put it on top of cooked macaroni therefore making a chili mac and getting some whole wheat hotdog buns and getting some veggie hotdogs or even the halal beef, chicken or turkey hotdogs and pouring chili on top of the hotdog calling it a chili dog.
Now this can be done with leftover chili to keep it more interesting. These are the suggestions that work and it is time proven.
Ok the chili mac and chili dog is an American idea and still is yummy.
P.S. If you are using the big dried chilies, make sure you soak them first in water for 10 minutes. Add to blender along with the water and blend and add this to the pot when you are making chili.
Instant pot mode: on sauté add the olive oil then add onions and garlic and fry then add either mince or the veggie crumbles and combine the rest of the ingredients just like stovetop method. Add beans tomato paste and required amount of water then turn sauté off and turn on pressure cook to high set for 15 minutes and when done cooking tap quick release button.
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