This chilli con carne recipe is my absolute favourite. It definitely has that rich tomato depth that you’re after but it also has a freshness from the fresh coriander that I love as it stops it feeling too heavy.
1 tbsp oil
1 large onion, finely diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 heaped tsp of hot chilli powder
1 tsp of paprika
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 small bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
500g lean minced beef
1 beef stock cube
400g can chopped tomatoes
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp tomato purée
410g can red kidney beans
Put your pan on the hob over a medium heat. When warm, add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the garlic, red pepper, chilli, paprika, cinnamon and cumin. Cook for another five minutes, stirring occasionally.
Turn the heat up a little, add the meat to the pan and break it up with your spoon or spatula. The mix should sizzle a bit when you add the mince. Keep stirring until all the mince is in uniform, mince-sized lumps and there are no more pink bits. Make sure you keep the heat hot enough for the meat to fry and brown but not stew.
Crumble your stock cube into 300 ml of hot water. Pour this into the pan with the mince mixture then add the tomatoes. Tip in the oregano and the sugar and season. Squirt in roughly two tablespoons of tomato purée and stir the sauce well.
Bring to the boil, give the chilli a good stir and put a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for twenty minutes. Stir the chilli occasionally to make sure the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan or isn’t drying out. If it is, add a little water. After simmering gently, the chilli should look thick, moist and juicy.
Drain and rinse the beans in a sieve and stir them into the chilli along with the roughly chopped coriander. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another ten minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry. Taste the chilli and season. It will probably take a lot more seasoning than you think.
I love to serve my chilli with boiled long grain rice, some tortilla chips and homemade guacamole. See ‘all recipes’ for guacamole recipe…
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