Vegetarian chili

• For the pickled onions:
• 1 lime
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• a large pinch of salt
• a large pinch of sugar
• For the chili:
• 200g dried haricot beans (or 2 tins)
• 2 tbsp. grapeseed or groundnut oil
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 jalapeño chili, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 tsp chili powder or paste
• 2 tsp dried oregano, marjoram or both
• 200g chopped tinned tomatoes
• salt
• 2 tbsp. ketchup
• chopped coriander or mint, diced avocado and sour cream, grated Cheddar or Gruyère cheese for garnish (optional)

METHOD

1. If you’re using dried beans, soak them in plenty of water overnight. The next day drain them, place in a pan with fresh water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 1 hour, until tender. Drain and put to one side.

2. To make the pickled onions, which are a lovely addition to the chili, juice the lime into a bowl. It will be much easier to juice it if you microwave it, whole, for 20 seconds on full power. Add the thinly sliced onion to the bowl, sprinkle with salt and sugar and let it sit for at least 20 minutes.

3. Heat a large skillet, add the mustard seeds and let them start to crackle, then add the oil. Fry the onion for a few minutes until softened, then add the garlic and chopped chilies, stir in the chili powder or paste (a little at first) and the dried herbs.

4. Add the beans and tomatoes, season with at least 1 tsp of salt, add the ketchup and simmer for 20 minutes until the tomatoes break down and there’s hardly any liquid at the bottom. You can cover it with lid for some of the time but take care not to catch it.

5. Check for seasoning, add more salt or chili powder if needed and serve with the pickled onions, garnishes of your choice and some plain rice if desired.

---

See also

Lentils with mushrooms

Ratatouille