Tikka Twist Beef Chili
A thick, familiar beef and bean chili with cumin, coriander and amchur running underneath it. The blend does the work of three jars of spice, and a spoon of plain yogurt on top finishes it better than sour cream.
Photography is illustrative. Every recipe is tested.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, 85/15
- 1 tablespoon Tikka Twist Signature Blend, divided (Hot if you want real heat)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth
- 1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- Kosher salt, used lightly
- Plain whole-milk yogurt, chopped cilantro and thin sliced red onion, for serving
Contains: Soy, Wheat.
Using the blend
1 tablespoon, divided
Open the tomatoes and measure the broth before the blend goes anywhere near the pot. Take the pot off the burner, because turning the dial down does not cool hot metal. Off the heat, stir 2 teaspoons into the fat for 30 seconds to wake up the cumin and coriander, then add the liquid immediately, because the tomato powder and crystallized lime will scorch bitter if they sit dry in a hot pot. The last teaspoon goes in off the heat at the end, where it stays bright.
Method
- 01
Open the crushed tomatoes and measure the beef broth into a cup before you start cooking. The blend is only in the dry pot for 30 seconds, so the liquid has to be within arm's reach.
- 02
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook 6 to 8 minutes, until soft with golden edges. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- 03
Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, until no pink remains and some of it has browned. Spoon off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat.
- 04
Pull the pot off the burner and turn the heat to low. A Dutch oven that has just browned beef stays fiercely hot for minutes, and turning the dial down does not cool the metal. Off the heat, add the tomato paste and 2 teaspoons of the Tikka Twist Signature Blend and stir constantly for 30 seconds, just until it smells toasty, then set the pot back on the low burner. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and broth right away and scrape the bottom of the pot clean.
- 05
Stir in both cans of beans and 1 teaspoon brown sugar. Bring to a bare simmer and cook uncovered 35 to 45 minutes, stirring now and then, until a spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a trail that holds for a second.
- 06
Take the pot off the heat and stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon Tikka Twist Signature Blend. Taste before adding any salt. The blend and the broth both carry salt, so most batches need none.
- 07
Rest 10 minutes, then serve in bowls with a spoon of yogurt, chopped cilantro and a few slivers of red onion. It is better the next day, once the fenugreek and garam masala settle in.