It's just a bowl of chilli. With Ms. Tan away, I decided to experiment with making chili. I've always liked the thing -- my first encounters with this strangely named American dish were in the now defunct Wendy's fastfood joint at Far East Plaza. It's yummy food and I order it often enough when I eat out. I know it's really easy to make (otherwise I wouldn't bother) but I must say that doing it yourself gives one a certain kind of pleasure (yes, the knowledge that I can cook to please myself is an added bonus). Anyway -- this was the last bowl from the first batch. I've been eating this stuff since Ms. Tan went for her conference, so I've been at it for three days. Of course, there's always been a slightly obsessive streak with me and trying out stuff; so, I decided to make another batch!
Many options were considered. "Another Pot of Chilli for Three Days?" (the problem with obsessions is that one lives with the consequences ...) "Why not use Short Ribs instead?" "Should I do it with Beer?" (I briefly fondled a bottle of Guiness at the supermarket ...), "Should I do a Vegetarian version?" (I decided against that in the end as Ms. Tan's presence will provide many opporunities for experimentation with vegetables ...) I finally ended up deciding to stick to basically the same combination of ingredients, to see if I could replicate the pleasant effects of the first batch.
But -- the supermarket didn't seem to have nice looking ground beef. The cheap ground beef looked strange (actually this other guy picked it up and his girlfriend scolded him ... so I took my cue from there ...) So I ended up having to do a combo thing -- some chicken and some minced sirloin (more expensive than just regular ground beef). This I seasoned with a liberal sprinkling of just about every spice and seasoning we have in the kitchen ... which we own through the culmulative courtesies of people who have visited ...
More key ingredients: the Beans! I like Black Beans so I decided to stick with them. And just so that I could say that this batch was slightly different from the first one, I got Pinto Beans. They taste like baked beans without Ketchup ... And GOYA is my brand, man. They make a whole range of Latino food staples.
Next, the mandatory onion. Watching lots of FoodNetwork has convinced me that Rachel Ray's Onion Chopping method is the best. She slices it in half, makes vertical incisions, then works her way across the body. I always get the direction wrong ("wah leow, how come the Onion is coming part" ... adjust ... adjust ... "wah leow, now the juice is making me cry ...") BUT this time I was deliberate! (NOT obsessive compulsive obviously -- can't remember the direction to turn the Onion ...) And of course, you need those Jalepeno peppers. I got three good sized ones. They're actually quite hot but don't have the bite of chinese green chillies. I took out the seeds, though -- ripped them out with my thumb -- which probably explains why I'm typing with fingers on slight fire ...
And the whole lot went into the skillet for a good stir fry. This is our power skillet from Singapore -- that we were made to lug all the way here. But it's served us well for two years and even I can't ruin it with my lousy cooking technique. (These pictures were taken after a minor incident of the oil getting too hot and popping out of the pan ... got that under control ... I was aiming for the "smoking" oil stage but I guess there was some water in the skillet ... and the oil decided it would pop instead of smoke ... )
and while that's cooking, in go the beans. Into the crockpot (which we own courtesy of Singaporean earning lots of money living in New York who has no time to cook ...) I have grown MOST attached to this crockpot. It's endured my Beef Stew ("too much tumeric !!! You think this is curry, ah?"), my Orr Bee Bey (stripped down to no longer include Pandan leaves or Gula Melaka ... when I do it now, it JUST has the black glutinous rice ...) And now, it's being put through its paces with chilli making.
Ok -- all proper Chilli chefs got secret ingredient. They have whole competitions and it's a big time thing. For me, I just randomly ran into this little can at the Supermarket and thought that I would give it a try. They worked really well, these Chipotle peppers -- so now I can call them my secret ingredient. They give a nice smokey feel to the Chilli. I cut them up and throw them in, seeds and all. Three are quite enough, very power.
So final combination of everything in the pot, final stir. (Of course I will check this REPEATEDLY, as if it really matters ...) and food for the next three days!
