Chilli con carne

This is my favorite chili recipe, which has evolved over the years. It contains hot chili powder and fresh chilies, the latter adding some nice colors to the recipe. You can make this as hot as you want - I use fairly mild chilies (serenade), and de-seed them, as the heat in this recipe comes from the chili powder.

My other 'twist' with this chili recipe, which makes it far from classical, is the addition of peas and green bell pepper. I add these for a bit of taste variety as well as to balance the red colors with a little green. Of course, if you don't like that, you can always leave them out! Or experiment with your own versions.

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large onion (roughly chopped)
3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
2 green chilies (finely chopped)
1 red chili (finely chopped)
14 oz (400g) minced beef
chili powder (2 tsp)
cumin powder (1 tsp)
black pepper
salt
tinned tomatoes
2 oz peas (optional)
green bell pepper (optional)
tinned kidney beans
flat-leaf parsley (garnish)

Chili Health Benefits

Chili is a stimulant and is useful in cases of poor circulation, especially to the extremities, and can be useful in rheumatic and arthritic conditions. It can prevent infections in the digestive system, and aid digestion. It is particularly good as an antiseptic and analgesic for sore throats.

Heat a tbsp of oil and a knob of butter (or margerine) in a large saucepan or wok. Add the roughly chopped onion and fry until golden brown. Then add the garlic and chopped fresh chilies and stir until combined and cooked though.

Season with coarsely ground black pepper.

Next, add the minced beef to the pan and stir to mix the ingredients, and break up the meat. Continue stirring until the meat is all cooked through and brown in color. (I sometimes use roughly chopped beef instead of minced.)

Once the beef is cooked, add the chili powder and ground cumin and stir to mix.

Cumin Health Benefits

Cumin is rich in iron, which plays many vital roles in the body, for transporting oxygen in the blood, and in energy production and metabolism. Cumin is also beneficial to our immune systems, can aid proper digestion and nutrient assimilation, and has been shown to have anti-cancer properties.

Now add the tinned tomatoes along with the juice and stir into the other ingredients. Add some gravy granules at this point to give more body to the sauce and help thicken it.

Add salt as required, cover and simmer for 10-15 mins.

These ingredients are optional, but I think they go really well with this recipe.

Add the peas and coarsely chopped green bell pepper (capsicum) and stir into the other ingredients. When heated through, check seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Cover and simmer for a further 15 mins.

Finally, add the red kidney beans to the pan, thoroughly mix them in. Then cover the pan and continue simmering for 10-15 mins.

I always use tinned kidney beans, and you can buy all sorts now in the supermarkets. Some even come in chili sauce! Importantly, the temperatures used in the canning process render the beans entirely safe to eat. If you are using raw kidney beans, soak them overnight, then discard the water, add fresh cold water, bring to the boil, and blanch for 10 minutes. Then add them to this recipe along with the tomatoes so they are cooked.

Serve with loads of plain boiled or steamed rice, or fresh crusty bread. Delicious!