Vegetarian Chili
By Amanda LuchtelPublished on October 18, 2021
Time
1¾ hours
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
One ounce of ancho chiles is approximately two or three chiles; ½ ounce of guajillo chiles is about three or four chiles. Use more or fewer chipotle chiles depending on your desired level of spiciness. We like using a mix of pinto, black, and red kidney beans here, but you can use all of one type or any combination of the three. Do not substitute hulled, hull-less, quick-cooking, or presteamed barley in this recipe (read the ingredient list on the package to determine this). Serve the chili with any of the traditional garnishes: lime wedges, sour cream, diced avocado, chopped red onion, and shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese.
Instructions
- Place anchos and guajillos in Dutch oven and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant and darkened slightly but not smoking, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately transfer anchos and guajillos to bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit until chiles are soft and pliable, about 5 minutes.
- Drain anchos and guajillos and combine with tomatoes and their juice, 1 cup water, chipotle(s), soy sauce, and 1½ teaspoons salt in blender. Process until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes; set aside.
- Heat oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, poblano, and remaining ¾ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook until tomato paste darkens, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in pinto, black, and kidney beans; barley; mushrooms; chile puree; and 2½ cups water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until barley is tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Let sit off heat for 10 minutes (chili will continue to thicken as it sits). Season with salt to taste. Stir in cilantro and serve.
Time
1¾ hoursYield
Serves 6Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
To make a rich and flavorful vegetarian chili, we started with a base of onion and fresh poblano chile sautéed in plenty of olive oil until lightly browned—the oil's fat was important to unlock the flavors of the chiles and seasonings (whose flavor compounds are fat-soluble). Then we added tomato paste and plenty of minced garlic, along with dried oregano and a heap of warm, earthy ground cumin. We let it all sizzle until the tomato paste began to darken and the sugars caramelized. Many recipes call for store-bought chili powder, but we toasted torn dried ancho and guajillo chiles, reconstituted them in water, and then blitzed them in a blender with tomatoes and canned chipotle chile to create a significantly more complex chili. To account for the lack of meat, we incorporated soy sauce and dried porcini mushrooms in addition to the tomato paste to contribute umami, or savory flavor. Plus, the soy sauce and tomato paste combined to provide a concentrated salty-sweet tang while the reconstituted mushrooms added depth and a slightly smoky element, too. In lieu of meat, we used a medley of canned beans—black, pinto, and kidney—to create an appealing mosaic of colors, flavors, and textures, along with barley, which has a mild taste and contributes a pleasant, chewy bite.
Before You Begin
One ounce of ancho chiles is approximately two or three chiles; ½ ounce of guajillo chiles is about three or four chiles. Use more or fewer chipotle chiles depending on your desired level of spiciness. We like using a mix of pinto, black, and red kidney beans here, but you can use all of one type or any combination of the three. Do not substitute hulled, hull-less, quick-cooking, or presteamed barley in this recipe (read the ingredient list on the package to determine this). Serve the chili with any of the traditional garnishes: lime wedges, sour cream, diced avocado, chopped red onion, and shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese.
Instructions
- Place anchos and guajillos in Dutch oven and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant and darkened slightly but not smoking, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately transfer anchos and guajillos to bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit until chiles are soft and pliable, about 5 minutes.
- Drain anchos and guajillos and combine with tomatoes and their juice, 1 cup water, chipotle(s), soy sauce, and 1½ teaspoons salt in blender. Process until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes; set aside.
- Heat oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, poblano, and remaining ¾ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook until tomato paste darkens, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in pinto, black, and kidney beans; barley; mushrooms; chile puree; and 2½ cups water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until barley is tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Let sit off heat for 10 minutes (chili will continue to thicken as it sits). Season with salt to taste. Stir in cilantro and serve.
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