Triple Herb, Cumin and Winter Vegetable Chili (with Instant Pot update)
This dish is a chili by way of explanation. It could just be another stew from my Indian kitchen. The kind that never fails to bring a smile to my daughter’s face, I like to call it my triple Herb and toasted cumin winter vegetable chili. It is bright, light and very flavorful. If you are looking for a variation with red kidney beans, here is an interesting one from NYT.
The Story of My Winter Vegetable Chili
Combining some ground meat with white and or red beans is not uncommon. In this recipe I have used white beans. and I have done my share of this dish using soy crumbles. So it really is up to you to decide how you want to make it.
The daughter loves legumes. Just like me, her idea of comfort food is a simple flavorful stew with loads of soft beans. Maybe sometimes just a plain and simple brown lentils soup with steamed rice.
I have reigned in the craziness this week at work, let us hope we can keep that way until we get to the robotics land. As I have mentioned the stakes are high this year, we have two teams on the run. have a document that needs to be wrapped up, and my goal and hope is to do that over the holiday week, taking a day off.
It would serve two things, get me some down time and of course spend some quality time with the two young ones at home. By the way, stay tuned for a couple of cookie recipes, I have nailed two really neat recipes that I can add to my small stash of cookie recipes.
Tips and Essential for Turkey or Soy Crumbles
let me give you a few tips on getting a good turkey or faux meat recipe to work. The first premise here is do not cook the meat for hours. In this recipe I create a deep rich base by actually cooking the beans and vegetables for a long time. Secondly, a lighter meat lends itself to lighter flavors. The floral impact of the three herbs and cumin take care of that.
So go ahead, cook up a potful and enjoy a warm and comforting meal.
Another hearty winter dish is this lamb and potato curry with cumin.
This dish is a chili by way of explanation, it could just as well be any other vegetable and bean stew from my Indian kitchen. The kind that never fails to bring a smile to my daughter’s face, I like to call it my triple Herb and toasted cumin winter vegetable chilli - bright, light and very flavorful.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus 1 tablespoon
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup of diced tomatoes (jarred with all the juice)
- 4 medium sized carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 medium sized sweet potato, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ¾ cup dried white beans
- 4 to 6 cups of water
- 2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 pound ground turkey or soy crumbles
- 1 tablespoon chopped oregano
- 1 tablespoon chopped thyme
- 1 tablespoon minced jalapeno peppers
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- Sour cream, grated carrots and cheese to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and add in the red onion and sauté until soft and sweaty. Add in the garlic and stir well. Stir In tomatoes, carrots, sweet potato and red bell pepper.
- Mix in the white beans and the water.
- Gently toast the cumin seeds until fragrant and aromatic and grind to a powder.
- Stir in the ground cumin and the salt and cover and simmer for 3 hours, until the beans are fairly soft.
- Heat the additional tablespoon of oil and add in the ground turkey or soy crumbles and stir for 4 minutes.
- Mix in the oregano, thyme and jalapeno peppers with a little salt.
- Stir into the simmering chili and cook for another 25 minutes, the key here is not to overcook the turkey as it tends to get tasteless.
- Stir in the cilantro, serve garnished with sour cream, grated carrots and cheese.
Notes
Instant Pot Instructions
Turn on the saute mode, heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and add in the red onion and sauté until soft and sweaty. Add in the garlic and stir well. Stir In tomatoes, carrots, sweet potato and red bell pepper.
Mix in the white beans and the water.
Gently toast the cumin seeds until fragrant and aromatic and grind to a powder. Stir in the ground cumin and the salt and the turkey. Turn off the saute mode.
Mix in the oregano, thyme and jalapeno peppers with a little salt.
Set on pressure for 25 minutes, allowing for a natural release if time permits.
Stir in the cilantro, serve garnished with sour cream, grated carrots and cheese.