When my sister recently visited from New Zealand, I asked if she would share one of her comfort food recipes for this column.
Enthusiastically, she agreed to cook me chilli con carne which warms her up, especially on cold days.
“It’s one of my husband’s favourite dishes.
“He likes to eat it over potatoes, pasta or rice,” she said.
The capsicum for this dish needs to be diced.
Chilli con carne literally means “chilli with meat” in Spanish. It originated in Mexico as a cheap and easy meal among the ranchero, or cowboys.
It went on to become a commonly prepared dish in northern Mexico and the southern US state of Texas.
Brown beef in the lightly caramelised vegetable mix.
Today, chilli con carne is one of the most popular dishes in Tex-Mex cuisine, with “chilli” parlours throughout Texas and other US states.
Each establishment claims it has a secret recipe and serves the dish over various staples such as rice, potatoes, noodles, mashed corn, or tortilla chips.
Stir in tomato paste and mix well.
It may also be topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, and diced onions.
Beans have long been associated with chilli, but their inclusion remains a matter of contention among chilli cooks.
While it is accepted that the earliest recipes did not include beans, their use has had a long enough history to be considered authentic.
Add kidney beans for an authentic version of the dish.
My good friend Glenn Perry in the US even insists that chilli con carne must include a slab of steak cut into cubes.
Compared with the beef that my sister usually cooks with in New Zealand, our local beef is leaner and takes a bit longer to tenderise.
Thyme and bay leaf are a must before leaving the mixture to stew.
The texture of the beef we’re targeting should be smooth and melt-in-the-mouth together with the vegetables and beans.
Although this dish is called “chilli”, it is significantly milder than any chilli dish that Malaysians are familiar with, as it gets its red colour not from chillies but from paprika, which is the ground powder of dried red capsicum.
Stew under a lid, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
However, you may add more chilli flakes to boost its spiciness if you prefer more firepower.
Serve hot over rice, potatoes or pasta.
Chilli con carne
Ingredients¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
250g yellow onion, diced
25g garlic, minced
150g carrots, diced
180g celery, diced
550g ground beef
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp chilli flakes to taste
1 tbsp mixed herbs
¼ tsp nutmeg powder
½ tsp mustard powder
120g green capsicum, diced
3 tbsp tomato concentrate
1 can kidney bean in brine, 400g
575g fresh tomatoes, diced
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cube beef stock
5g thyme
1 bay leaf
½ cup cold water
¼ tsp salt to taste
1 tsp black pepper to taste
1 tsp cornstarch plus 2 tsp water to thicken if needed
DirectionsHeat the oil to saute onion, garlic, carrots and celery until wilted and lightly caramelised.
Add ground beef to sear, then season with paprika, chilli flakes, mixed herbs, nutmeg powder and mustard powder.
Add capsicum, tomato paste, kidney beans and tomatoes, then stir until well mixed.
Season with Worcestershire sauce, beef stock cube, thyme and bay leaf.
Add enough water to stew.
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until beef becomes tender, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
Discard the thyme and bay leaf, and adjust seasoning of salt and pepper to taste.
Thicken with just enough cornstarch slurry.
Serve hot over rice, pasta or potatoes, or cold as a dip for nachos.
