RECIPE: Hole mole black bean chilli

For some people chilli without meat just doesn’t make sense (its full title is chilli con carne after all). But because it’s one of my favourite dishes to serve at parties, I had to find a way to overcome (and perhaps overcompensate for) the lack of flesh.<p> Thankfully my hard work paid off and here’s a gutsy chilli to satisfy all tastes… in fact I’ve even seen some of my meat-fiend mates go back for seconds, thirds and more.</p>

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by Closer staff |
Published on

Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion, season and let it

soften for several minutes before adding the dried spices and sweating for a few minutes more. Add the peppers, season, cover and cook together for at

least 10 minutes or until softened before adding the chopped chilli and garlic.

Stir in the tomato purée until everything is coated, then pour in the

chopped tomatoes. Add the sugar, Tabasco, balsamic vinegar and about

100ml water. Season and stir to incorporate. Simmer for around 25–30

minutes, occasionally topping up with water if the sauce becomes too dry.

Drain and rinse the beans. Add to the pan and simmer for a further

15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, divide each tortilla into 8 triangular pieces. Heat 150ml of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Lightly fry several of the tortilla pieces until golden before turning over and frying on the other side. Remove to a plate lined with kitchen paper and season immediately with sea salt.

Repeat the process until all the pieces are golden and crunchy. You may

need to add a little more oil about halfway through.

Just before serving, break the chocolate into small squares and stir into the chilli. The sauce will turn thick and glossy. Allow everything to amalgamate before serving.

Serve the chilli with chopped fresh coriander, sliced avocado, wedges of lime for squeezing and a stack of homemade tortilla chips.

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