For too long my recipe relied on the assistance of a certain ‘yee ha’ brand of taco or chilli seasoning mix found in supermarkets. I wanted my own recipe, with no surprises, so I got to setting up my science lab and broke down the ingredients in the packet.

Red kidney beans are all a bit too carby overload for me, so I make my chilli without beans. But it’s not that unusual… they’ve been onto this for years in the heart of chilli land — Texas. They even have a name for it. Yep, Texas chilli.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
450g minced beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
250g tomato passata
400g tinned tomatoes, crushed
300ml salt-reduced beef stock
1 bay leaf
freshly ground pepper
200ml light greek yoghurt

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Gently cook the onion and garlic. Add all the dried spices to the mixture and stir for 1 minute, or until you can smell the lovely aromas.
2. Add the beef and cook until it just changes colour. Add the tomato passata and tinned tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
3. Pour in the beef stock, add the bay leaf and some pepper and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for about 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. To serve, ladle the chilli into warmed bowls, add a dollop of yoghurt and a parmesan crisp.

Recipe courtesy of Cooked.com.au.

This recipe first appeared in OMG! I Can Eat That? Indulgent Food Minus The Boombah by Jane Kennedy.