Winter Chili

For cold winter weather, I like to have a hot bowl of chili. This is a recipe I made up with items left in the fridge. In this season also made use of root vegetables as well.

Here's something new to me that I'd like to share with you. I was offered to sample it a few months ago in a small Indian shop on Jean-Talon street. Curry Leaves! I've cooked with it a few times, and for those who live close by to the south shore, I have also found it at Kim Phat in Brossard, amongst the other many un-labeled herbs..lol. So I'll show you a what it looks like. As for the smell, I can detect it, but you might only notice it once u stick it in a hot pan.. it really just has a light curry smell to it, and adds a subtle flavour to your cooking.

Ingredients:

1 Jalapeno Pepper, sliced
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 inch piece of Ginger, chopped
1 Bell Pepper, chopped
4 Cardamon pods
1 can (540mL) Mixed Beans, rinsed
1 can (794g) Crushed Tomatoes- with roasted garlic and olive oil
1/2 Sweet Potato, cubed
3 small Parsnips, cubed
1-2 sprigs of Curry Leaves, pull off the leaves and slice, discard stems
340g ground beef or vegetarian "ground beef"
1 tsp Tumeric
1/2 tsp Cumin
1 Tbsp BBQ sauce


Instructions:

- Prep: proceed to cut all the vegetables separately and rinse the beans, and set aside.
*If you're choosing to use ground beef, in the prep, season your beef with salt+pepper, you may also use extra tumeric. Fry up the beef in advance in a pan and set aside.

-Place the parsnips into a Pyrex glass bowl with a cover, and place into the microwave for 3 minutes on HIGH heat. Once ready, set aside and remove the lid.

- Heat a non-stick frying pan on MED_HIGH heat with a Tbsp of oil of your choice.
(I used sesame oil)

-Add jalapeno,onion, bell pepper, ginger and curry leaves into the pan, and stir fry until onions are golden. Then add the tumeric and cumin to the mix.

-In a tall sauce pot, pour in the can of crushed tomatos, (also use that same can, and fill halfway with water and add to the pot), BBQ sauce, cardamon pods, the ground beef, beans, the contents of the stir fry,  parsnips and sweet potato.
*If you're using vegetarian "ground beef", its usually advised to keep frozen until ready to cook. This is the time to add it in.

Mix the contents, Set the heat to MED-LOW and cover with lid for 30 mins. Stir the pot regularly to prevent sticking at the bottom of the pot.


-Reduce heat to LOW, and remove the lid. Continue to cook until sweet potatoes are tender, about another 15-20 minutes. Stir regularly to prevent sticking.

Here's how my dish turned out this earlier this evening! I chose to garnish with curry leaves.

Keep in mind that this dish was not spicy to me at all..  So based on this recipe you'll be able to determine what level of spicy suits you. So feel free to make any variations you like. Also, I used the vegetarian "ground beef" tonight and I recommend it, since no one can tell the difference. It tastes great, and a healthy alternative for those looking to reduce cholesterol intake.

If you're looking to spice it up: Add some cayenne pepper.

If you're not sure which BBQ sauce is a good idea, I chose a smokey/peppery sauce, and it did lean the flavour a bit to the sweet side, so I don't recommend using any sweet BBQ sauces.

I actually thought of adding green lentils to the pot but then forgot about them once I started cooking.. But then realized you can add as a side; lentils, basmati rice, quinoa, black rice... anything you want with it.

Enjoy!