What makes a good chilli?

[PRC1964]

What makes a good chilli?

The wife.

[wobbegong]

The wife.

At least you didn't say 'Uncle Ben'.

[Halo Jones]

A tin of mixed taco beans & good old Hienz beans aswell as the kidney beans, I am for a equal 3 way mix of beans, mince & veg

[scooterscot]

Seriously, a tablespoon of marmite with the tomatoes and a teaspoon of flour to help thicken up the sauce. The longer it simmers for the better.

[DaveB]

A bit more complicated but worth the effort.

Ingredients :

1lb stewing or braising steak cut into bite sized cubes.

4-5 dried chillies ( adjust according to heat preference)

2-3 garlic cloves

1 onion

1 tin kidney beans (rinsed and drained)

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Dried Oregano

Salt + Pepper

Hot water

250 ml Beef stock

Optional :

1tsp Cocoa powder
3-4 Fresh tomatoes roughly chopped.
Small bunch of freshly chopped Coriander

Method :

Slice the chillies in half, remove the stems, seeds and membrane the seeds attach to. Chop roughly into flakes.

Soak the chilli flakes in 500ml of hot (but not boiling) water for half an hour. Drain and reserve the soaking liquid.

While the chillies are soaking fry the beef in a heavy pan until well browned, remove from the pan and set aside.

Finely chop or puree the garlic and onion and fry gently until soft but not colored. When cooked add the flour and mix well to form a paste being careful not to burn the flour.

Mash the chilli flakes in a pestle or blender with a little stock to make a paste.

Return the meat to the pan with the onions, garlic and chilli paste and pour over the soaking water from the chillies.

Add the remaining beef stock, kidney beans, cumin and oregano and simmer for at least an hour stirring regularly and adding water as needed to stop it burning.

Season to taste with salt and pepper while cooking.

If adding the cocoa and tomatoes do at the end and stir thoroughly. Serve Garnished with chopped coriander if desired.

[GreenLabel]

You'll never get a definitive recipe, as everyone likes it slightly different. Debates online will rage for decades to come.

One of my mates puts whisky in his chilli. Plenty of people use chocolate or cocoa also.

[darmstadt]

Cook the meat up the day before and leave in the pot. All the fat will sit on top which you can then scrape off and throw away. Now add all your ingredients and let it simmer for a while before eating with warmed bread.

[norrahe]

I just add cumin and fresh chillies to mine. I do like to cook it for several hours and serve with guacamole, sour cream, grated cheese and salsa.

[d000hg]

Have tried Gordon Ramsay's before and it was quite good. Normally make it up as I go... once I made an absolute belter but like George's Marvellous Medicine, I can never quite recreate it.

I don't think chocolate helps but red wine does. Definitely cumin to make it smell like chilli rather than mince, and TBH any other herbs/spices. Fresh chillis fried a little to release the flavour, but nothing wrong with chilli powder too.

[SupremeSpod]

Onion, celery & carrot, finely diced. Fry gently until onions are clear. Add minced beef, garlic and some ground chilli. Fry until the meat is browned. Add kidney beans, passata and some chilli flakes (or grind some whole dried chillis) and some fresh ones as well. Try and use a mixture of chilli varieties e.g. birds eye, scotch bonnet if you like it toasty.

Then simmer till it has the required consistency.

Chocolate should be added at the end if desired. Some people swear by it.

I like your recipe but with one difference.

I always put the chilli powder to a couple of tablespoons of vinegar to help extract the oils.

As for chocolate in chilli, never tried it.