- Serves 4 - Ready in 50 minutes -
Gather together…
1 tbsp rapeseed oil or olive oil.
2 onions, VERY THINLY sliced and diced (chunky onion pieces spoil the texture of this dish) - if you use frozen onion that you have cut up ahead-of-time, just place it under a tea towel and bash it with a rolling pin to make tiny pieces easily.
2 clove garlic (peeled and finely chopped) or 4 tsp lazy garlic.
2 tbsp curry powder (yes, two tablespoons).
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
½ teaspoon dried crushed chillies (or add more if you like heat or add chopped fresh chillies for a real kick!).
Seeds from 6 Cardamom pods.
500g Quorn mince (frozen) .
2 tbsp tomato ketchup.
1 x 400g can red kidney beans, drained in a colander and rinsed.
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes.
700ml passata (concentrated tomatoes).
2 squares of dark chocolate, chopped up carefully with a sharp knife - Green & Black's chocolate is plastic-free AND palm oil-free.
To serve...
80g brown rice, per person (dry weight).
3 tbsp plain yoghurt, per person (plus extra available on the table to add as required).
Tortilla crisps.
Get cooking…
1. Gently heat the 1 tbsp of oil and fry the 2 finely chopped onions and the 2 cloves of (peeled and chopped) garlic in a large, lidded oven-proof pan for 2 min, over a LOW heat, with the lid off. Meanwhile gather the spices to hand.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 200 C (180 C fan) or Gas 6.
3. Add the spices to the pan (2 tbsp of curry powder, 1 tsp of Cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of crushed chillies and Cardamon seeds from 6 pods), stir.
4. Add the 500g of (frozen) Quorn mince to the pan, stir well and heat gently for 1 minute, still on a LOW heat, to start to defrost it and to infuse with flavour.
5. Turn OFF the heat under the pan (to prevent anything burning whilst you add the other ingredients).
6. Stir in the 2 tbsp of ketchup, the 400g can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed first), the 2x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes and the 700ml bottle of passata.
7. Turn the heat ON to MEDIUM and bring the pan to the boil (this will take circa 5 - 10 minutes). Stir every minute or so to prevent sticking.
8. Sprinkle in the 2 squares of chopped-up dark chocolate, stir.
9. Cover the chilli pan with a LID and cook for 30 minutes in the oven (or until the rice is ready).
10. Put the rice (80g per person) on to cook on the hob, following the packet instructions, or (even better) use a rice cooker.
11. Serve the chilli on a bed of rice, topped with plain yoghurt and with tortilla crisps on the side.
Adapted to be a healthier version, from a recipe given to me by my foodie friend J (who makes a much spicier version of this - so by all means add some fresh, chopped chillies too, if you can handle the heat!) .