Best Black Bean Chili
Black bean chili built on home-ground spices and dried ancho chile. Vegetarian, vegan-adaptable, with toasted cumin and homemade chili powder. Serve over melted cheese with creme fraiche and roasted poblanos.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minBest black bean chili earns its name through technique, not exotic ingredients. The signature step is making your own chili powder. A whole dried ancho chile gets briefly oven-dried, then stem and seeds removed, ground to a coarse powder. The flavor difference between fresh-ground and store-bought chili powder is dramatic. Anchos give a sweet, raisin-like depth and only mild heat, so the result is layered rather than just spicy.
Whole cumin seed gets toasted in a dry skillet alongside oregano leaves until both turn fragrant, then the paprika and cayenne join for a quick few seconds before the whole mix gets ground in a spice mill. That cascading toast schedule matters. Each spice has different heat tolerance and going in waves keeps everything from scorching.
Soaked dried black beans simmer slowly with a bay leaf while the spice paste comes together. The beans cook for an hour or more after the spiced tomato base joins them, soaking up the flavors. A late splash of rice vinegar and a handful of fresh cilantro at the end wakes everything up.
Serve ladled over a generous mound of grated cheese in each bowl. The cheese melts as you stir. Top with creme fraiche, roasted poblano dice, and a sprig of fresh cilantro for color and lift.
Pro Tips
- Use whole cumin seed and whole-leaf oregano, not pre-ground. The volatile oils degrade fast in pre-ground spices.
- Salt the beans only after they’ve softened. Early salt firms the bean skins and slows cooking.
- Char the poblanos directly over a gas flame until evenly blackened, then steam covered 10 minutes for easy peeling.
- The chili thickens as it cools. Thin with stock or tomato juice to turn it into a brothier soup.
Variations
- Skip the cheese and creme fraiche garnish for a fully vegan version.
- Add 1 chopped chipotle in adobo with the tomatoes for smoky heat on top of the ancho.
- Serve over cornbread or alongside tortillas instead of cheese for a different finish.
Ingredients
Directions
Sort through the beans and remove any small stones.
Rinse them well, cover them generously with water, and let them soak overnight.
Next day, drain the beans, cover them with fresh water by a couple of inches and bring them to a boil with the bay leaf.
Lower the heat and let the beans simmer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Heat a small heavy skillet over medium heat.
Add the cumin seeds, and when they begin to color, add the oregano leaves, shaking the pan frequently so the herbs don’t scorch.
As soon as the fragrance is strong and robust, remove the pan from the heat and add the paprika and the cayenne.
Give everything a quick stir; then remove from the pan--the paprika and the cayenne only need a few seconds to toast.
Grind in a mortar or a spice mill to make a coarse powder.
Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃).
To make the chili powder, put the dried chile in the oven for 3-to-5 minutes to dry it out.
Cool it briefly; then remove the stem, seeds and veins.
Tear the pod into small pieces and grind it into a powder in a blender or a spice mill.
Heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté the onions over medium heat until they soften.
Add the garlic, salt and the ground herbs and chili powder and cook another 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and their juice.
Simmer everything together for 15 minutes then add this mixture to the beans, and, if necessary, enough water so the beans are covered by at least 1-inch.
Continue cooking the beans slowly until they are soft, an hour or longer, or pressure cook them for 30 minutes at 15 pounds pressure.
Keep an eye on the water level and add more, if needed, to keep the beans amply covered.
When the beans are cooked, taste them and season to taste with the vinegar, additional salt if needed, and the chopped cilantro.
Prepare the garnishes. If you are using fresh green chiles, roast them over a flame until they are evenly charred.
Let them steam 10 minutes in a bowl covered with a dish; then scrape off the skins, discard the seeds, and dice.
Serve the chili ladled over a large spoonful of grated cheese and garnish it with the creme fraiche or sour cream, the green chilies and a sprig of fresh cilantro.
Though served in a bowl and eaten with a spoon, this chili is a great deal thicker than most soups--thick enough in fact to be served on a plate right alongside fritters or cornbread.
It also, however, can be thinned considerably with stock, water or tomato juice to make a thinner but still very flavorful black bean soup.
When thinned to make a soup, it can be served as part of a meal rather than a meal in itself.
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