Crispy Chris

Recipe For Spicy Quorn Chilli, Rice And Tortilla Chips 

(serves 4-6)

TIP; Not for the faint-hearted

Ingredients;

• Onions; 2 medium chopped
• Garlic; 2-3 cloves crushed
• Peppers; 1 red, 1 green deseeded and chopped into 1cm pieces
• Cumin; 3 heaped teaspoons ground
• Chilli; Fresh red or green, 1-2 teaspoons of chilli powder or crushed chillies, Tabasco sauce or a combination to suit your own palate.
• Paprika; 1 heaped teaspoon (optional)
• Tinned chopped tomatoes; 1 tin liquidised in a blender
• Tomato Puree; 2 table spoons
• Vegetable stock; 1-2 cubes depending on the brand used and according to your taste (you can start with 1 then add another if needed)
• Olive oil (light); 3 tablespoons
• Black pepper; 1 teaspoon freshly ground
• Salt; half teaspoon (or to taste) preferably sea or rock
• Quorn mince; 300gm
• Red kidney beans; 2-3 tins (personal preference)
• Rice; 2 cup-fulls basmati
• Tortilla chips (plain) to garnish

Method;

The Chilli

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add chopped onions and salt and sweat on a low heat until translucent (about 3 mins) then add the garlic, chopped peppers and black pepper and keep stirring gently until garlic starts to turn golden brown.  

TIP; Do not allow the garlic to burn or the dish will taste bitter. If it starts to burn quickly add a little cold water and stir

Add the Cumin, Chilli, Paprika, Fennel seeds and Peppers and stir continuously to prevent burning. The mixture will quickly become dry so keep adding water 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the mixture moving and stop it sticking to the pan.  For the best results you will need to stir for a few seconds then leave for a few seconds for about 10 minutes until the spices are cooked.

Add the Tomato Puree about 3 minutes before the end of this process.

TIP; Too much tomato and not enough or no Cumin will make the dish taste more like Bolognese Sauce than Chilli!

Next, add the liquidised tomatoes, stock cube(s) and about a half pint of water, stir well and simmer gently with the lid on for at least 15 minutes stirring occasionally to stop it sticking to the pan.

TIP; The longer the sauce simmers the better up to an hour to allow all the flavours to infuse.  As Quorn cooks in 15 minutes, the sauce needs to be properly cooked before the Quorn is added.

When the sauce is ready, add the Quorn mince, either thawed or straight from frozen, and stir well. The Quorn will immediately start to soak up the liquid so if the mixture becomes dry then add enough water to keep the sauce at the right consistency.  

After 10 minutes stir in the Red Kidney Beans then cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes.  Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary.  The chilli is now ready to serve.

TIP; This kind of dish always tastes better the day after so try to cook it the day before if possible, store in the fridge until needed then heat thoroughly before serving.  It’s also great for freezing for a superb meal in a hurry.

The Rice;     

There are many ways to cook rice so stick to your own tried and tested method. I find the easiest way is as follows; 

Place 2 cups of Basmati rice in a sieve and run cold water through it for about a minute or until the water runs clear out of the bottom of the sieve.  Tip into a saucepan of boiling water (at least 8 cup-fulls), bring back to the boil and stir to stop the rice sticking together and to the pan.  Once boiling, simmer for 11 minutes then drain into a colander.  Place the colander back onto the saucepan and cover.  Allow to stand for at least 5 minutes before loosening up with a spoon and serving. 

Plating up;

Using a bowl rather than a plate, cover the bottom of the bowl with a good layer of rice then spoon the chilli over the top.  Add some tortilla chips on the side for dipping and for texture.

TIP; Have some Tabasco sauce or chopped chillies on the table for those who like it really hot (like me).

Buen apetito!

Crispy Chris

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