This is a simple chicken stir-fry and I don't feel like using a wok. Your basic East Asian ingredients and sauces. A dish that anyone can put together.

Ingredients that you'll need:

500gm chicken thighs - - cut to 2 cm pieces

1 red capsicum - cut to 2 cm pieces

1/2 yellow onion - cut to 2 cm pieces

2 bird's eye chillies - sliced

4 garlic cloves - chopped

1 knob of ginger - sliced

1 stalk curry leaves

(There was broccoli stem in the video, I just happened to have some around)

Chicken marinade 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine 1 tbsp corn starch 1 tbsp sesame oil 1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder (or to taste) Sauces added into stirfry 2 tbsp soy sauce 2-3 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine Optional suggestions Add 1 -2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce for some colour and sweetness

Method:

• Mix the cut chicken with all the marinade ingredients.
• leave in the fridge for at least an hour, up to overnight.
• When ready to start frying, take chicken out of the fridge.
• In a large frying pan or wok, heat some oil over medium high heat.
• When oil is hot, add chicken pieces into the pan.
• Cook for about 15 mins until almost cooked through and there is some browning on the chicken.
• Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Wipe the pan down
• In the same pan, add some oil and heat pan - Medium high heat.
• Fry garlic and curry leaves till fragrant - about 2-4 minutes
• Fry rest of the vegetables till lightly browned
• Chicken back in the pan and cook through
• At the end, add all the stir fry sauces.
• Mix well for another 1-2 minutes.
• Serve with steamed rice.

Enjoy!

5 Spice Chicken Rice

 

I always make this when I have a hankering for Singapore style Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Its like a shortcut so I don't have to go through the process of roasting or poaching a whole chicken. Especially when we cook for two most of the time. Also we prefer dark meat so we just by thighs from the local poultry shop for convenience. 

The marinade gives the chicken thighs that extra savory hit that is just so good. It reminds me of the roasted variant of Hainanese Chicken Rice.

For the marinade (Good for about 6 thighs)

• 4-5 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 3 tbsp Sesame oil
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp 5 spice powder
• 1/2 tsp white pepper powder
• 50-70 ml water

For the dressing/sauce (2 Servings)

• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

Method

1. Mix the marinade ingredients in a large bowl: 
2. Mix chicken thighs with marinade and store in a container or zipper bag. 
3. Leave in the fridge to marinade or at least an hour, overnight if possible.
4. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 190 C (fan forced)
5. Cook chicken skin side up for about 25 mins. Cooking time may vary with size of meat and oven type.
6. When cooked, remove chicken thighs from banking try and allow to rest while you make the dressing.
7. Mix all ingredients well in a small bowl, making sure sugar is dissolved.
8. Serve with chicken rice (Rice cooked with Chinese style chicken broth) or plain rice.
9. Add on your preferred side greens.
10. Drizzle the dressing on the chicken and greens. 

Enjoy.

Mushrooms and Rösti, topped with an egg.

 

Rösti or rööschti - A type of potato fritter from Switzerland. Similar to a hashbrown I guess. but usually cook in a pan instead of a deep fryer.

We had potatoes and mushrooms in the house, wanted to jazz them up a little. Spring onion and thyme were from our back yard.

I made this one thin as I wanted it crispy. This is thinner than a traditional rösti I guess. Haven't had or made that many to be 100% sure. Those that I have had were thicker and larger. Important to get the mushrooms browned to intensify the flavour. Recipe: 1 Large Potato ~ 250 grams (Julienne or grated) Half and medium/small onion (finely chopped/diced) 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped) 6 mushrooms ~ 250 grams(sliced) knob of butter 2-3 sprigs of thyme 1 egg

Method:

1. Fry egg sunny side up.

Potato
2. Heat a flat fry pan with some oil. 3. Put potatoes in pan set to medium heat.
4. Cook until both sides are crispy.

Mushrooms
5. In a separate pan heat some oil over high heat.
6. Then add onion and garlic. Fry till softened and light brown.
7. Add mushrooms and fry until browned.

Assembly -

8. Mushrooms on the potato and top with fried egg.
9. Garnish with fresh herb of your choice.

Also, a short cut would be to use frozen/store-bought hash browns and just cook the shrooms yourself. Also, grate the potatoes if you don't want to julienne them.

Pad See Ew - My first video post

Pad See Ew - Flat rice noodle stir fried with gai lan, bean sprouts, egg, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, kecap manis, oyster sauce. Used rendered pork fat as the cooking fat, Used a seared a scotch fillet as the main protein. Still fairly new at the whole video while cooking thingy. Love the flavour of this quintessential Thai street dish. Much like Char Kway Teow in SG.

Video here - https://youtu.be/oPD8RXSIAYk

What you will need to serve 2

2 tbs extra pork lard or vegetable oil

6 cloves garlic - chopped

200-300 grams beef sirloin that I pan seared till medium rare beforehand

3 eggs - beaten

200-300 grams flat rice noodles (Kway Teow or Cheong Fun)

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 bunch gai lan cut into 5cm lengths

50 grams bean sprouts (optional)

2 tbsp kecap manis

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp crispy shallots

 

1.     In a work or large skillet, heat the lard (or oil) on medium heat.

2.     Once oil or lard is hot, add the garlic. Fry till fragrant (a hint of sulphur).

3.     Turn up heat to high.

4.     Add the eggs and scramble. 

5.     Once the eggs are almost cooked through add the noodles and stir fry. 

6.     Mix well and then add the soy sauce, beef and bean sprouts.

7.     Add the kecap manis and oyster sauce.

8.     Stir Fry and then add the gai lan and fry till the sauce caramelizes a little. 

9.     Turn off the heat and serve immediately. 

10. Garnish with fried shallots and chillies if desired. 

 

Enjoy!

Prawn Noodles

Hokkien Prawn Noodles / Har Mee



A mainstay of the street food scene in Singapore and Malaysia. The dish is Hokkien noodles served in a stock that is made with pork bones and prawn heads/shells which gives it its unique flavour. The stock is sweet and savoury at the same time, which leads to lovers of this dish slurping to the bottom of the bowl.

Each family will have their own version of this dish. This is my version of the dish, a variant of my mom's recipe. She didn't really give me a recipe though. This is based of what I remember while watching her cook, plus some tweaks of my own. Being a meat lover, I serve this with braised pork ribs.

Also, when I serve this dish, I don't like shells on my prawns. Many famous stalls that leave the shells on, even after butterflying the prawns. Its a personal preference, I am using chopsticks and I don't really want to be putting them down to shell the prawns or to be spitting shells throughout my meal. I find it very distracting.

What you will need to serve 4 - 6

Stock:
Pork Bones - About half a kilo at least.
Prawns - About 600 grams - Shelled, save the heads and the shells. Store flesh separately.
Pork Ribs - About 600-800 grams - Cut to individual rib bones.
White peppercorns - 1 Tablespoon
Garlic - 1 bulb or a dozen cloves - Lightly crushed.
Oyster Sauce - 3 Tablespoons
Dark Soya Sauce - 1 Tablespoon
Light Soya Sauce - 2 Tablespoons
1 Chicken Stock cube
Sugar - 1 Tablespoon

Noodles and Garnish:
Fried Shallots (Store bought is fine)
Crispy Fried Pork Lard bits (Optional)
KangKong (Water Spinach) - Washed, cut to 4 cm lengths. About a handful per serving,
Beansprouts - About 100 grams. About a handful per serving,
Chilli Powder / Fresh Chillies - Optional
100grams - Egg Noddle or Hokkien Noodle per serving.

Making Lard Cubes. (About .5 Kg of Pork Lard is a good amount)

The Pork Lard is optional. It is my opinion that it just takes the dish to another level. Cut the pork fat into 1 cm cubes or slightly larger. In a pan, slowly heat up the cubed fat. The lard cubes will start to sweat and you will see liquid fat will start to pool in your pan. Keep the heat medium low. Before long, the cubes will be swimming in oil. At this point you can turn up the heat to get a good browning on the cubes. Do not walk away if you can help it - as they can burn very quickly from this point.

Once you get a nice brown colour on the cubes, separate the solids from the liquid fat.

I like to store the crispy cubes in a paper-lined air tight container and the liquid fat in glass container.

The liquid fat stores well in the fridge. Up to weeks. Try using them in your stir fries, its next level stuff. 1 thing to note when using pork fat with stir-frying, us a smaller amount than you would with regular cooking oil, or your dish might get a tad greasy.

Making the stock:

Heat up 2-3 Tablespoons of oil (or Pork Fat - recommended) in a large stock pot or a wok. Add the garlic, white peppercorns, ginger and the prawn heads/shells and roast till the shells turn pink/red and garlic just starts to brown. Add the oyster sauce and continue roasting. You want the oyster sauce to start caramelizing but not burn.

If you are doing the roasting directly in the stockpot, add in 2.5 litres of water.

If using a wok or frying pan - deglaze with some water, about half a litre or so. Bring to a boil and then transfer to a large stockpot then add the rest of the water into the pot.

Add the pork bones, chicken cube, sugar, Light and Dark soya sauce into the pot.

Cover and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and let simmer for 2 hours.

Tates and adjust as needed with Soya Sauce, pepper and sugar.

Optional Step - Strain the stock. Save the pork ribs and you can discard the rest of the solids.

Or you can just pick out the ribs with and strain the stock as you ladle it into serving bowls.


When Serving:

Have large pot of boiling water ready.

Blanch/cook each serving of noodles according to package instructions and place in the serving bowl.
Blanch/cook each serving of the beansprouts and kangkong and place in the serving bowl.
Blanch each serving of prawns in the stock for 2-3 minutes and place in the serving bowl.(Be careful not to overcook).
Place desired amount of pork ribs in each serving bowl.
Ladle hot stock into the bowl.
Garnish with Shallots, Crispy Lard Cubes and Chillies as desired.

Enjoy....

Grilled Lemon Grass Chicken

Grilled Lemon Grass Chicken

I was actually inspired by a Vietnamese noodle/salad bar in South Australia. The fragrant aroma of the chicken being grilled was what drew me into that little stall in the Adelaide CBD.

Its savoury, sweet and fragrant. This dish is an easy crowd pleaser, especially in a barbecue. When cooking at home in the oven, the aroma just fills the place. It is actually a variation of the chicken recipe in the Thai Chicken Salad I posted some time ago.

Here's what you'll need.

500g boneless chicken thighs

Marinade
2 stalks fresh lemongrass - grated/minced
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoons soya Sauce
1 teaspoon coriander powder.
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic - grated/finely minced
Ground black or white pepper
Juice of half a lime

Garnish / Coating
2  Tablespoons Thai sweet chilli sauce
1 stalk spring onion - sliced
Fried shallots

Method
1. Mix all marinade ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Then marinade chicken in the mix, for at least an hour.

2. If using an oven, preheat oven to 190 degrees. Lay the chicken on a baking tray skin side up. Cook for 25-30 mins. (If you want crispier skin, you can sear the skin on a skillet over the stove over high heat for a few mins before putting the chicken in the oven.)

3. If cooking over a grill or barbecue, cook skin side down first, over medium heat. Should take about 6-10 mins (Depending on how hot your grill is) to get that nice rendering you want on the skin. Then flip them over, grill until cooked through. About another 4-8 minutes or so.

4. Let the chicken rest for a few mins. Toss with the spring onions, shallots and Thai sweet chilli sauce. Serve.

Enjoy.

Noodles in Beef Broth

My first post in a long while. Relocation and adjustments to deal with. Hope to have more posts in the future.

This is comfort food that is very simple to put together. Inspired somewhat by all the beef Pho around near where we live. While not the same thing, its more of a short cut beef noodle soup dish that one can put together with relative ease after work. Especially on a cold day, this is so good. 

The trick to a quick dinner prep is to actually do most of the work while the broth is simmering. Literally can be done in 45 mins or less and way more satisfying than instant noodles.

You can use your own homemade beef stock, which is highly recommended. In a pinch, store bought works fine.

What you will need to serve 4

For the soup / broth

4 pieces of star anise

1 cinnamon quill

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

8 cloves garlic – crushed with the side of a knife

1 bunch Corriander Root – washed clean and crushed with the side of a knife – Reserve leaves for garnish.

4 shallots or half an onion – sliced

3 tablespoons dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

¼ cup light soy sauce

1.5 - 2 liters beef or veal stock. (Store bought is fine, just watch the salt content)

  

Garnish

Corriander Leaves (The roots are in the soup) - chopped

2 stalks Spring onion – sliced

Sesame oil

Back/white peeper
Chillies (optional)

The rest of the stuff

320 - 400 grams of noodles. (Egg noodles, ramen and thai stick noodles all work well)

1 cup bean sprouts (Optional)

1 cup spinach or other Asian greens (Bok Choy or Mustard greens are great as well)

400-600 grams Beef Tenderloin (Eye Fillet) – Thinly sliced.

Method

1. Cut the corriander at the stem, about 2 inches above to root. Wash clean, set aside the leaves and root separately. The leaves will be used when serving.
2. Drizzle a little light soy sauce over the beef and mix. Set aside.
3. In a large pot or stockpot, heat some cooking oil (about 2 tablespoons) over a medium heat. When oil is heated up, put in the Garlic, peppercorns, coriander rood, shallots, star anise and cinnamon. Fry until fragrant. About 5 mins. Browning on the garlic and shallots is good, just don’t burn them.
4. Add all the beef stock into the pot. Add the soy sauces and oyster sauce and fish sauce. Stir to mix well. Bring to a boil and then lower heat, allowing to simmer for about 20mins.
5. While the broth is simmering, cook your noodles according to packaging instructions and portion into serving bowls.
6. Blanch vegetables and portion into serving bowls.
7. Portion the beef over the noodles and vegetables in the serving bowls. (yes raw)
8. Turn off the heat in the stockpot. Pour or ladle half of the broth into each serving bowl through a strainer. The heat from the hot broth should cook the sliced beef just right. If you are not comfortable with rare beef, just blanch the beef in small bowl of the broth prior to serving.
9. Garnish and serve. 

Thai Basil Chicken Stirfry

This is a refinement of an earlier post - Thai Minced Beef Stirfry with Basil. But I used chicken this time.

Hoping for more Thai authenticity. So there is no sesame oil. I did use dark soya sauce for some sweetness and colour. Relied mainly on fish sauce for salinity.

I find this recipe works better, at least I enjoyed it alot more that the minced beef one.
I that find adding the basil leaves at the end preserves more the fresh basil hit.

Serves 2 to 4
Ingredients
500g-600g Chicken Thighs, diced to roughly 1cm cubes. (Up to you if you want the skin on)
1 yellow onion - sliced
8 garlic cloves - roughly chopped or minced
Handful of Thai basil - leaves only (use continental basil if you cannot find Thai ones.)
3-4 Kaffir Lime leaves - you can use them whole or thinly sliced.
3-6 bird's eye chillies (Or however much you want.) - sliced
1 Large Red chilli - sliced
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
Ground white pepper
1 Tablespoon of corn flour/corn starch
1 egg per person - cooked sunny side up

Method
1. Season the meat in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, pepper and corn flour. Mix well. Leave for at least 30 mins. Using corn flour or corn starch is a technique that helps the meat stay tender and also helps with flavour retention of the meat you are marinating.

2. In a small bowl, mix the rest of the fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce mix well.

3. In a large wok or frying pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium high heat. When oil is heated (Its starts to shimmer and moves around the pan more easily). Add the chicken and fry until the chicken starts to brown a little on the outside on all sides (About 8-10 mins). Turn off the heat. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Note: If you left the skin on the chicken, its a good idea to ensure the skin is rendered for additional flavour. Un-rendered poultry skin can be a put off, at least to me.

4. There should be some oil left from frying the chicken. (If you left the skin on, there will probably more oil left in the pan than you need. You can mop some of it with a paper towel if you have to.) Turn the heat back up to medium. When oil is heated throw in the onions, garlic, chillies and lime leaves. Fry for about 4-6 minutes, sweating the onions and garlic a little, till they just start to brown and then Add all of the sauce mix. Mix well.

5. Add the chicken back in next. Stir fry for another about 5-8 minutes then add all the basil leaves and turn off the heat. Mix well, until the basil leaves are wilted.

6. Serve with steamed rice and a fried egg.

Note: For added authenticity, the Thai street style fried egg is not the same as your "non-stick pan" sunny side up. The That street one actually use quite a bit of cooking oil. Almost shallow frying the egg till you get crispy edges and the yolk remaining runny.

Enjoy!

Slow Roasted Pork Belly

A really great way to get maximum enjoyment from a cheaper cut of meat.  The wine and stock keep the meat tender and moist. I mean really moist. I find serving this with squash and carrots make for a great meal.

 This is similar to my other pork belly recipe, but this has Crackling, how can you go wrong with proper crackling?

1 to 1.5 kg of Pork Belly Skin on

10 cloves of garlic - peeled
1 yellow onion - sliced

1 Large Carrot - Roughly Chopped (Optional)
Some Chilli flakes

1 cup White wine
2-3 cups chicken stock.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Sprig of thyme.

Pre - heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius

1. Dry the skin of the pork with a paper towel, then score the skin with a 1.5cm (does not have to be exact) checkered pattern(it will help with portions later) with a very sharp blade (Like a Stanley knife). Season thoroughly with salt and pepper, using your fingers to rub in the salt and pepper. Set the pork aside.

2. If your roasting tray can go on the stove, heat some cooking oil over a medium heat. When the oil is heated, lightly brown the carrots, chilli flakes, onions and garlic. 

2b. Alternative method is to use a saute pan and transfer the contents to the roasting tray after browning. If using a pan, deglaze the pan with some stock to get all the tasty browned bits off the pan and into the tray.

3. Add the thyme to the onion and garlic mix. Place the pork - (skin side up) on top of the onions and garlic. Pour in all the wine. Then pour in just enough chicken stock to partially cover the pork. Do not let the liquid get high enough to touch the skin. Pouring just enough for the liquid level to touch the fat below the skin. (You can use the garlic/onions to prop up the pork before adding the liquid)

4. Cook in the oven for 2.5 hours or until you get the crackle you want. (Don't panic if some of the edges get burnt, you can scrape them of later.) 

5. Let the pork rest for about 10 mins before carving. Use a serrated knife. Serve with your favourite grilled veg and some of the braising liquid.

6. Optional step - make a roux, about 1 tablespoon worth and mix it with the strained braising liquid for a great sauce!

Enjoy!

Thai Minced Beef Stirfry with Basil

One of my favourite dishes when I was posted to Thailand almost 20 years ago. Colleagues and I would look out for stalls selling this dish. Also a very common dish over there. I find myself cooking this whenever really fresh Thai Basil pops up at the local market.

My rendition of this dish includes dark soy sauce and sesame oil, as I feel it adds some punch to the dish. The traditional recipe probably would not have used soy and sesame oil. 

Also to note, purists would not use anything other than fish sauce for salinity.  

Ingredients
500g minced or thinly sliced beef. (Can be substituted with chicken or pork)
1 small yellow onion - sliced
8 garlic cloves - roughly chopped or minced
Handful of Thai basil- leaves only (use continental basil if you cannot find Thai ones.)
2 Kaffir Lime leaves
4-8 bird's eye chillies (Or however much you want.) - sliced
4 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
Drizzle of sesame oil.
Pepper
1 egg per person - cooked sunny side up

Method
1. Season the meat in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and pepper. Mix well. 

2. In a small bowl, mix the rest of the fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce and a drizzle of sesame oil. Mix well.

3.  In a large wok or frying pan, heat about 2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium high heat. When oil is heated (Its starts to shimmer and moves around the pan more easily) throw in the onions and garlic. Fry for about 2-3 minutes, sweating the onions and garlic a little.

4. Add the meat next. While frying, use the spatula to break up the meat a much as you can. Fry for about 5-8 minutes, until the meat is about halfway cooked through.

5. Add in the chillies, lime leaves and the sauce mix. Mix well. Continue to fry until meat is cooked through. About another 7-10 mins or so. Turn off the heat and add in the basil leaves, mix well until wilted. 

6. Serve with steamed rice and a fried egg. 

Enjoy!

San Bei ji (Three Cup Chicken)

This is a popular dish in Taiwan. The 3 cups refer to the 3 elements that make up the sauce. Rice Wine, Soya Sauce and Sesame Oil. Combined with generous amounts of garlic and basil, the cooking process of this dish creates an appetising fragrance that permeates the whole home (well my little apartment anyway).

San Bei Ji

The result is a really tasty dish with punchy bold flavours that is nutty, savoury and slightly sweet at the same time.

A dish of Taiwanese origins, I believe that a cup refers to the Chinese Tea cup that is about 100ml or so. As opposed to to the metric cup of 250 ml.

Here are the ingredients, serves 2-4. Depending on how much other food you have at the meal.

500 grams Chicken Thighs - Roughly chopped up, about 1-2 inches size chunks.
1 Red Capsicum - Roughly cut up in to chunks.(Optional)
1 Cup Shitake Mushrooms - halved or quartered (Optional)
1 Quarter cup Shaoxing wine
3 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
1 Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce, plus extra for seasoning.
10 cloves of garlic - Halved
1 inch piece of ginger - sliced
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1-2 Birds Eye Chillies - Roughly cut up.
White pepper
Small bunch of Thai Basil (Or Continental if you can't find Thai ones) - Leaves only.
Small bunch of Spring Onions

1. Season the chicken with some soy sauce and ground white pepper and set aside.

2. Heat a large wok or large suacepan over medium heat. Add in the sesame oil. When the oil is heated. Add in the all the garlic and ginger. Fry for about 2 minutes until fragrant.

3. Then add in the chicken, chillies, mushroom and capsicum. Spread the chicken around the pan or work. You want nice browning on the chicken pieces. Stir fry until the surface of the chicken pieces turn light brown. About 5-8 minutes.

4. At this point, add in the Shaoxing wine, both Soy Sauces and sugar. Stir Fry for about 3 minutes, mixing everything well.

5. Cover and lower the heat. Simmer gently for about 10-15 minutes. This allows the chicken to cook through and absorb the sauces.

6. Remove the cover, toss in the basil and spring onions. Stir fry for about a minute.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Chilli Con Carne

Chilli Con Carne - Actually means Chilli with meat. Recipe variations are really wide. E.g. There are those who believe beans and tomatoes should not be included and there are those who differ from that point of view. The recipe changes from state to state in the US and Mexico.

Chilli Con Carne

I got inspired to try my hand at this dish after watching an episode Diners Drive-ins and Dives on Foodnetwork Channel. I brought this dish to two pot lucks and it was very well received at both. Its an awesome dish for a pot luck as it can be made the day or even days before. It will taste better after spending some night(s) in the fridge.

Makes about 8 servings

200 grams streaky bacon - Cut up into 1 cm slices
500 grams Minced Beef
2-3 sausages (spicy Italian kind preferred) - Diced up.
300 grams beef chuck - cut into 1 inch cubes. (Optional - I like the chunky pieces in my chilli)

1 Whole Large Onion - Diced
1 Red Capsicum - Diced.
5 Cloves Garlic - finely chopped or minced

2 tablespoons chilli powder (More for extra heat)
2 teaspoons paprika power
2 teaspoons ground coriander
3 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt

50-70 grams Dark Chocolate (At least 60%)

1 can diced tomato
1 can tomato paste
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 cup beef stock - (Chicken stock is fine too)
1 can of Beer (Dark beer preferred if you have) - optional
2 cans Kidney beans or Pinto Beans or one of each

Garnish
1 Bunch Corriander - Roughly Chopped
2-3 stalks of Spring Onions - sliced
1 cup - Shredded Cheddar.
Optional - For added heat, add some thinly sliced bird's eye chillies. (Chilli Padi)
Tip - If too spicy, add some more sugar.


1. Add the bacon into a large stockpot over high heat. Fry for about a minute. Add the diced onions and capsicum and fry for about 3 - 5 minutes (Until they soften and onions turn translucent) Add the garlic and saute for another 1 or 2 minutes.

2. Add the chuck and sear for about 4 minutes (If using) and then add the ground beef and sausage and sear, stirring gently, try not to break up the ground beef too much. Cook until the meat is nicely browned and cooked through should take 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Add the chilli powder, paprika, coriander, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper, salt and cook until the spcies release their aroma, about 3-4 minutes.

4. Add the tomatoes and tomato puree. Cook out the tomatoes and puree for about 4 minutes. Stir in the beer and stock. Use the liquid to de-glaze the pot, mopping up any brown bits sticking to your pot. Add the kidney and pinto beans(with all the juice from the cans, as the starch will help tighten up the chilli).

5. At this point, add the chocolate and tomato ketchup, mix well. Simmer for about 2 hours. Checking and stirring regularly, every 20 minutes or so on very low heat, just so the bottom does not burn. Or or use a slow cooker

Serve the chilli in bowls, garnished with Spring Onions and/or Corriander and Cheddar.
Great with Fries and Tortilla Chips! Enjoy!