Obliviously, this dish is inspired by Chilli con Carne. If you’ve not heard of it before, this is a Tex-Mex dish normally made with minced beef, chili peppers, and a mixture of spices. The meatiest of all the chillies, it’s been a challenge to make a vegan version that will make most meat eaters just as happy. But I brough this to a pot luck with friends last week and it was incredibly popular, I think I might have cracked it.
Let’s talk about flavour
Let’s be honest, this chilli recipe is not quick, it’s all about building up the flavour layer by layer. However, I guarantee it’s not hard, and it is so incredibly worth it. Combine the intense depth of flavour with the texture of the browned tofu mixed with red lentils and it makes for a deep, tasty, and meaty chilli that doesn’t contain any meat! It can be a little difficult to find the range of dried chillies we need in a UK supermarket. As such, my recommended source is Amazon. I’d start here and see what else you need!
What to serve with it?
You can enjoy this chilli by itself but for me it’s so much better served on a baked potato or with some rice and topped off with some guacamole.
Leftovers?
Chilli is one of those dishes that can be even better after a day or two in the fridge so box up your leftovers in an airtight container. It should be excellent to eat for up to 5 days. Alternatively, it will happily sit in your freezer till your next cold day.
The recipe below makes for a lot of food, making the ideal dish for a crowd or for a batch cooking session. If you want to reduce the recipe it will happily work, but I’d encourage you to make the full batch of chilli paste and freeze any you don’t need.
Chilli Non Carne (Vegan & Gluten Free)
Ingredients
Chilli Paste
- 2 Dried Pasilla Chillies
- 3 Dried Arbol Chillies
- 3 Dried Guajillo Chillies
- 3 Dried Ancho Chillies
- 2 Large Dried Shitake Mushrooms
- 500 ml Boiling Water
- 1 tsp Miso Paste
Chilli Non Carne
- 3 Green Peppers
- 2 Jalapenos
- 400 grams Medium Firm Tofu pressed for at least 15 minutes
- 2 Large Onions finely chopped
- 3 Carrots finely chopped
- 2 Celery Ribs finely chopped
- 6 Garlic Cloves finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Tomato Puree
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 800 grams Tinned Tomatoes
- 250 grams Kidney Beans (cooked or tinned)
- 150 grams Red Lentils
- 750 ml Vegetable Stock
- 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tsp Gluten Free Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 3 tsp Ground Cumin
- 2 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Oil, for cooking
Instructions
For the Chilli Paste
- Using a pair of scissors, cut open the dried chillies lengthways and remove the seeds before cutting up into halves or thirds. Warm up a dry pan and toast the chillies on a medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until fragrant.2 Dried Pasilla Chillies, 3 Dried Arbol Chillies, 3 Dried Ancho Chillies, 3 Dried Guajillo Chillies
- Place the chillies into a bowl along with the dried mushrooms and cover with the boiling water. Cover and allow to steep for at least 15 minutes.2 Large Dried Shitake Mushrooms, 500 ml Boiling Water
- Pour the chillies, mushrooms, and water into a high speed blender with the miso paste and blend into a smooth paste. Put to one side while you start on the Chilli.1 tsp Miso Paste
For the Chilli Non Carne
- Halve the peppers, removing the stems and seeds, and place onto a baking tray along with the jalapenos. Heat up your grill on high (or broiler for our American friends) and put the tray underneath. Cook until the skin of the peppers has charred and blackened, turning the jalapenos half way through so they blacken evenly.3 Green Peppers, 2 Jalapenos
- Wrap tightly in foil and allow them to steam in their own heat for at least 10 minutes. Remove the skin from both the peppers and jalapenos before roughly chopping and setting them to one side.
- Heat up a frying pan with a touch of oil. Crumble up the tofu into the pan and fry off until browned on all sides. Place to one side.400 grams Medium Firm Tofu
- Bring out your biggest pan and place on a medium heat with a touch of oil. Saute the onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and continue to cook until the onions are lightly browned.2 Large Onions, 3 Carrots, 2 Celery Ribs, 6 Garlic Cloves
- Add the peppers and jalapeno mix along with the tomato puree and cook until the puree has roasted and darkened. Deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar.2 tbsp Tomato Puree, 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- Finally, add the remaining ingredients, including the chilli paste and browned tofu that you prepared earlier. Stir very well and bring up to a boil. Lower the heat, partly cover, and gently simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.3 Bay Leaves, 800 grams Tinned Tomatoes, 250 grams Kidney Beans (cooked or tinned), 150 grams Red Lentils, 750 ml Vegetable Stock, 1 tsp Gluten Free Soy Sauce, 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast, 3 tsp Ground Cumin, 2 tsp Oregano, 1 tsp Paprika, 1 tsp Ground Coriander, ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- When cooked, the lentils should be soft and the chilli should have thickened. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed, depending on your tomatoes you might also need to add a touch of sugar.
- Serve for a crowd with baked potatoes or rice.
Notes
