A friend recently asked me for my chilli con carne recipe, and I figured that as Australia heads into winter, everyone else might benefit from this tasty, spicy and cheap recipe.

This makes about four generous serves.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon of oil
  • 500g beef mince (ground beef)
  • 1 large brown onion
  • 1 capsicum (bell pepper) (colour doesn’t matter)
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 x 400g tins of diced tomato (use one tin if preferred)
  • 400g tin of kidney beans
  • 250 ml beef stock (I usually use one Oxo cube)
  • 2 teaspoons of paprika (sweet smoked is best)
  • 1 teaspoon of chilli powder (more or less as preferred)
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of oregano
  • 2 teaspoons of sugar (more or less as preferred)
  • 4 teaspoons of tomato sauce (ketchup)
  • Sour cream to serve
  • Corn chips to serve

Method

  1. Add the oil to a frying pan and brown the beef. Break it up to the desired consistency (I like it finely separated).
  2. Dice the onion, capsicum and garlic and add to the pan. Fry until the onion is soft and brown. Turn up the heat to crisp the beef a little if desired.
  3. Mix the paprika, chilli powder, salt, pepper, ground cumin, oregano and sugar in a bowl large enough for the cooked beef.
  4. Add the cooked beef to the bowl and mix evenly.
  5. Heat the diced tomato in a large pot and add in the beef stock, followed by the cooked beef.
  6. Fry the beans until the moisture is removed, then transfer to the pot with the other ingredients.
  7. Add the tomato sauce to the pot and stir thoroughly.
  8. Taste the chilli and add more sugar or chilli powder if necessary.
  9. Allow to rest, then serve with sour cream and corn chips.