Fake Chili Con Carne

The title may be confusing but I need to mention it's fake as I don't like to deceive anyone, not butcher dishes by tailoring the recipe to my taste while pretending to be original.

I saw a recipe last year, here on Hive that was a shame, it had nothing to do with the original dish but the guy still pretended it's the real deal ans his mother was born in the country where the recipe originated from. That is not a license to butcher dishes and make people think it's original.

What Is Chili Con Carne

Chili con carne, or chilli con carne is a worldwide know and well liked dish. I believe you can find on most menus all over the world.

Chili con carne (also spelled chilli con carne or chile con carne and shortened to chili or chilli Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtʃili kon ˈkaɾne]), meaning 'chili with meat', is a spicy stew containing chili peppers (sometimes in the form of chili powder), meat (usually beef), and often tomatoes and beans. source

The Story

Everyone knows this dish yet I have been avoiding it for a long time. The fact that is made with chili and it's hot (supposed to be hot) is a big NO to me as I don't like hot and too spicy dishes, nor I am allowed to eat hot and spicy because of my billiard problems.

Last week while browsing on the internet, i came across a chili con carne recipe by accident, that looked so simple. I realized I don't have to follow the protocol, I can do my own fake chili con carne and enjoy it for that matter, so here I am with it.

This is how my fake chili con carne looks. It tastes heavenly good I can assure you, too bad I can't send you some. I would, gladly, believe me 😁

Ingredients For 4

800 g minced meat (could be a mix of beef and pork, or just beef),
1 large red pepper,
1 large onion,
3 or 4 garlic cloves,
2 cans of bean (440g),
salt,
oregano,
red paprika powder,
curcuma,
cumin,
tomato sauce,
olive oil.

Spices

You can use whatever spice you want, especially chili as this is or should be chili con carne, right? I decided to go with these four: oregano, red paprika powder, curcuma and cumin.

chili con carne 1.jpg

Method

Add one or two tbsp oil, leave it for 1-2 minutes until hot, add the chopped onion, red pepper and garlic. Stir for about 5 minutes until the onion and pepper is soft.

chili con carne 2.jpg

Add the minced meat and the spices. Stir till the meat becomes whitish. Add the beans and the tomato sauce. Cook for about 10 - 15 minutes.

How To Serve

This is a very good question. The original is (most likely) served with rice and have seen other suggestions like corn chips, warm tortillas, corn bread, baked potatoes etc. I chose my usual toast as it seemed easier.

This is the light version I have worked out for myself. The interesting thing is I measured the spices by eye, without even checking any recipe, just added what I thought it would be ok and surprise, surprise, at the end I didn't have to add anything as it tastes perfect. I love it and am pretty confident it's going to be a recurrent dish on my menu.

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