Cooking with beans is still very new to us. So we are experimenting as often as we can.
This recipe came to life after we had been out skiing/snowboarding in Whistler and we had an awesome chili for lunch. Chili is the best thing to warm you up after some good runs in the beautiful snow, so we wanted to bring this comfort back into our home.
We eliminated the meat in this dish, but you can absolutely make it with meat if you want.
First of all we use dried beans instead of canned beans. That means we need to soak them for 6-8 hours prior to cooking them. There are several reasons for choosing this option. It is very easy to soak beans, just put them in a bowl and cover with water and let them sit over night or at least 6-8 hours depending on the type of bean you want to use.
Dry beans are just that: beans that have been dried. They have not been cooked or added salt to or any other products to preserve them. They are more natural. Last but not least they are cheaper than canned beans. So there is really no point in using anything else but dried beans 🙂
180 g (1 cup) dried black beans (they expand to about 2 to 2.5 times, so if you are using canned beans, do the math) 🙂
Soak the beans for 6-8 hours or longer.
Drain the beans and rinse them.
Cook them in fresh water for 30 minutes and drain again.
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili flakes (add more or less, depending on your ability to cope with HOT food!!)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 red peppers, diced
4-6 tomatoes, skin removed and chopped coarsely
Olive oil
Salt
Cilantro or parsley, chopped
Sour cream or natural yogurt
Cheddar cheese, grated
Prepare the tomatoes first. See how to do that here.
Chop onion, garlic and pepper.
Heat up the oil in a large pot. Fry the onion and garlic till translucent but not browned. Add in the peppers, chili flakes, cumin and cayenne pepper. Fry for a few more minutes.
Add the coarsely chopped tomatoes, semi cooked black beans and a pinch of salt. Add 2-3 dl (1 cup) water.
Bring to a boil and turn down the heat to a simmer and cover with lid. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Taste as you go along, so you know if you need to add more salt or chili to please your tastebuds 🙂
In the mean time, chop the cilantro or parsley and grate the cheese.
When the beans are cooked, try one and taste if it is soft throughout, serve the chili in a bowl with sour cream, chopped herbs and grated cheese.
Have water ready to put out the fire from this flaming hot chili!
-Enjoy!