Chilli con carne with pili-pili
Our version of chilli con carne, spiced with whole dried Madagascar pili-pili chilli, crumbled by hand to taste.
- Prep 20 min
- Cooking 45 min
- Total 65 min
- Serves 4 servings
- Difficulty Easy
Chilli con carne combines minced meat, kidney beans and tomato in a hearty stew. Our version adds heat to the sauce with Madagascar pili-pili chilli, dried whole and crumbled by hand, to adjust the heat to everyone's taste.
Our family grows this chilli in Vangaindrano, in south-east Madagascar. Dried whole, it keeps well in a jar and is crumbled or crushed just before cooking, for a flavour that stays whole until the very last moment.
Preparation
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Crumble the dried pili-pili chilli between your fingers, removing the seeds if you prefer a milder dish; then wash your hands.
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Slice the onion and garlic, and cut the pepper into small dice.
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Heat the oil in a casserole dish and sauté the onion and garlic for 3 minutes, then add the pepper and continue for 3 minutes.
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Add the minced beef and brown it, breaking it up with a fork, for 5 minutes.
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Pour in the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, stock, kidney beans, cumin and crumbled pili-pili chilli. Season with salt.
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Cover and leave to simmer over low heat for 40 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the sauce has thickened.
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Taste at the end of cooking and add more chilli if needed rather than during simmering: its heat comes through fully once cooking is finished.
The little extra that changes everything
Crumble the chilli gradually and taste the sauce before adding more: a whole dried chilli does not always have the same strength from one batch to the next, it is better to dose it during simmering than at serving time. For another recipe spiced with this chilli, see flambéed prawns with pili-pili. To find out more about this spice, read Madagascar pili-pili chilli. Our products for this recipe: Madagascar pili-pili chilli (40 g glass jar)
