Simple South American Chili

This is a popular dish in South America and I have just found out when I arrived in Vancouver that it is a dish called "chili"! Chili???? To us Asians, chili is simply the vegetable itself, the spicy hotness you feel when you accidentally chew on a piece of it....(some Chinese dishes have fresh chillies in it and sometimes you would want to avoid it because it is alarmingly spicy!! Especially the SzeChuan ones....)

Anyhow, I have explored the makings of some chili and here goes my recipe:

You can have the option of having no meat in it (purely vegetarian style) or just add some ground beef or chicken....

Ingredients A:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and sliced)
6 cloves of garlic

Ingredients B:
1 cup of beer
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 can of black beans
1 can of red kidney beans
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp hot pepper sauce/tabasco
1 tsp salt
1 can of tomato paste (if the sauce is too watery)

Saute ingredients A together for a few minutes till fragrant. Add Ingredients B after that. Simmer for around 15 mins. Voila!!!!! Serve with shredded cheddar cheese on top and corn bread or rice! (OH! If there is ground meat, make sure it is well cooked and saute with Ingredients A)

For easy reference, here is my recipe of Buttemilk Cornbread (in picture above) --- a perfect pairing with chili...

Ingredients:
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk, low fat
2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg OR 2 egg-whites

Now, mix all the ingredients above together. Grease your loaf pan and stick it into the oven (450F). Bake it for 20-25 mins OR until it is dry when you stick a toothpick in.

NOTE: If you can't find buttermilk in your local store or don't have it handy, you can make it.... check out this link on how to make it: http://frugalliving.about.com/od/makeyourowningredients/r/How-To-Make-Buttermilk.htm