Chilli Chicken Stew
Jun 28 2013.
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This is my version of the classic ‘Chilli Con Carne’ (I am in the mood to experiment). There are several chilli con carne recipes online; the one I used and tweaked heavily was from exclusively food.com.
I have replaced the meat originally required with chicken, simply because I don’t eat it (Also given the tense situation in our country I thought it best to stick to a less controversial animal).
But because of such fundamental change, I’ve added in few extras and created a more stew-likem dish. So after exhausting hours of work on an annoyingly lazy, gloomy, rainy day, this is perfect to come back too.
Ingredients
700 grams of boneless chicken
200 - 250 grams of kidney beans
2 large onions
2 large red bell peppers
5 medium sized tomatoes
5 Spring onions
1 Tbs of Oil
½ cup of Ketchup
½ cup of Green Peas
1 ½ Maggie chicken cubes (to make Chicken stock)
3 garlic cloves
2 Tbs of Paprika
2 tsp of Chilli pieces
1 ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds
1 tsp of Coriander powder
1 tsp of Oregano
1 ½ of Chilli powder
1 tsp of Cinnamon
½ tsp of Turmeric
½ Lime
Salt
Pepper
Directions
Wash, clean and cut chicken in to bite size pieces.
Squeeze lime over the cut chicken, add the chilli, cinnamon and turmeric powder and leave to marinade.
Wash, clean and fine dice onions, spring onions (keep its leaves separate), bell peppers, tomatoes and garlic.
Make chicken stock with 1 1/3 cups of water and keep.
Heat oil in a heavy based pan on a medium high flame.
Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until soft. Then add garlic, cumin, paprika, coriander and chilli pieces and sauté for about one minute.
Add the meat and cook until it has changed colour.
Stir in the ketchup for about a minute, after that include the diced tomatoes and chicken stock, Close the lid of the pan and let it boil.
After an hour, add in the kidney beans, leaves of the spring onions, peas and oregano. Lower the flame and let it cook (again) for about half an hour (uncovered). Stir constantly so the consistency thickens.
Once the stew has reached the desired consistency, add a tea spoon (each) of salt and pepper to taste, stir and turn off the heat.
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If you’re using dry kidney beans it needs to be soaked for at least eight hours or else you’ll be chewing on tiny rocks.
Cooking this actually takes a long time. Be patient and don’t panic (mantra I should have followed). AND start early (this too).
I served this with buttered toasted bread.
Admittedly this particular dish is an acquired taste. Although I remain indifferent to it, my father loved it. And he’s usually my toughest critic.
Peas are an option. I used it because I wanted to make it more stew like.
Spices can be increased and decreased depending on taste and colour. So can the ketchup.
I got a ‘Lea & Perrins’ Worcestershire sauce. A swanky looking bottle I must say. Which from afar I thought was a (small sized) bottle of wine and got excited (uh for (cough) culinary reasons). I’m perfectly content with what it really is and remain as excited.
After adding the chicken, I added a table spoon of Worcestershire sauce.
Ketchup substituted tomato paste. If you prefer the latter go for about 50 grams (as recommended in the original recipe) of it.
I’ve become such a domesticated sally.
Use corn flour (dissolved in a little water) if you feel the stew is still watery. It’ll thicken the consistency.
I recommend using the type of meat originally used for this recipe. It’s meant for it.
You can dodge the eight hour soak if you use the canned kidney beans.
By Shazzana Hamid
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0 Comments
Fari says:
Jul 02, 2013 at 12:00 amCan kidney beans be replaced with another type of bean?
Shazz says:
Jul 05, 2013 at 12:00 amHey Fari
The classic chili con carne (according to google) is with kidney beans, but i'm sure u can try it with some red beans or something. Fari, You must ask this intriguing questions when your sampling the food or when your taking pictures of it.