Chilli Con Carne with Cornbread Muffins

My first memory of chilli was from reading Garfield comics. I was immediately intrigued at a dish with such name but doesn’t look like the normal spicy oblong fruit. At the risk of sounding fairly ignorant, I’ve never had chilli con carne….not even when I moved to KL. Yet I wonder even if I did have some, how authentic would it be? Whatever the reason, it has never come across my palate but it did not waver my curiosity from wanting to try this rather American diner classic.

No denying my recipe has been adapted to suit my own taste, what with the jalapeno sauce and chipotle sauce (pic below). I know basic chilli doesn’t need chipotle but I love this sauce and how it taste in the meaty stew. If I could find the original dry ones, I wouldn’t hesitate to throw it in either. I had to compensate with a lot of imagination to envision what the dish would taste like in the end. And original or not, I’m quite happy with the outcome. Silly of me to forget the cheddar cheese on top though.

This is a hearty, meaty dish and you would have leftovers for days. But fear not, they are great microwavable food!

CHILLI CON CARNE WITH CORNBREAD MUFFINS RECIPE

Ingredients;

Chilli;
300 gms minced beef
2 onions, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chilli flakes
1 tablespoon of paprika
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
1 tablespoon of jalapeno sauce (or use 1 fresh jalapeno)
1 tablespoon of chipotle sauce
1 teaspoon fennel powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
A can of diced tomatoes
A small can of tomato puree
3 tablespoons of tomato ketchup
A can of red kidney beans
Oil
Black Pepper
Salt
1/2 cup water

Cornbread Muffins;
Recipe for found here.

Steps;

1. In a big deep pot, heat your oil and throw in your onions. Fry till they’re almost softened and then add your chopped garlic.
2. Add all your minced beef and brown them thoroughly, breaking it apart with a fork. Add your spices of cumin, chilli flakes, paprika, fennel and coriander.
3. Cook the spices into the meat and season with salt and pepper. Add you diced tomatoes, tomato purée and ketchup. Add your jalapeno sauce and chipotle sauce. Stir everything till it’s well mixed together and let it simmer for 15 mins. If it is looking too thick, add your water, if it looks like the consistency you like, leave the water out.
4. Incorporate the rest of the spices; cocoa powder and cayenne. Drain your kidney beans and add it into the chilli.
5. Let it stew covered for another 20 mins or so on low heat. Taste and adjust seasonings, also if you like it hotter, add more cayenne or chilli flakes.
6. Serve hot with shredded cheddar on top or eat with the cornbread muffins.

Enjoy!