Cold days call for hot food and nothing satisfies quite like a bowl of homemade chili. The history of the dish is well documented (and debated) so I’m not going down that path. Instead I’m going to bend the plethora of recipes out there into my vegetarian ways by using textured soy protein (TSP) with heaps of fresh veg and beans spiked with chiles. Don’t panic carnivores! If you want to add a pound ground beast at the end to satisfy your cravings the rest of the recipe is just the same, just as good, and just as likely to make the vegetarians in your life happy if you save them a portion before you add any meat. This is good chili making technique either way.
Generally I don’t use meat replacement products or ‘meat analogues’ as they’re called. The whole industrial exercise of trying to fake meat often yields results that are less healthy than meat itself and taste like chemical soup. I think they also marginalize just how good vegetables can be in their own right and stifle the creativity of many home cooks that feel bound to make it “as good as” meat. Giant portions of animal protein in the middle of your plate is a hard habit to break and meat alternatives oftentimes reinforce needing your daily fix. Having said that, I still cook for carnivores regularly and want to make food they’ll enjoy as much as I enjoy my roasted cumin seed beets. There is a veritable tidal wave of vegetarian substitutes nowadays that can help people change their ways one small step at a time but such steps into that ocean need to be carefully placed in order to separate the good from the bad. I think it’s acceptable to find a few select products in this category that do no harm as long as they’re used in moderation on the way to injecting more real vegetables into your recipe box.
TSP can be horrible stuff if used improperly. The trick is to rehydrate it fully *and* to let it soak up other flavours for a good long while. In this case since you need to soak beans overnight in any event, you might as well let the TSP benefit from that same wait in a sea of rich tomato and spice infused goodness. TSP can be found dry in most grocery and bulk stores these days so it doesn’t usually require a trip to the whacky health food store any longer. The widely available and organically processed Bob’s Red Mill is the brand I grab more often than not but I’d be hard pressed to say that any brand I’ve ever used was better than another as long as you shop smart – read more about the perils of similar products below. TSP is mostly about texture and the flavours you add to it rather than its native taste. Some people report mild indigestion and feeling a bit more, erm… ‘gassy’ after eating TSP but the extra rinsing steps I prescribe in the recipe eliminate most if not all of those problems both in my own experience and anecdotally from other soy warriors. More about that below as well.
!! Not All Soy is Created Equally !!
An important bit of information is in order here since similar products are often confused and interchanged with TSP. For starters the names “Textured Vegetable Protein” and “TVP” are registered trademarks of one company, Archer Daniels Midland, so if those terms are on the label, it’s their product you’re getting no matter what the final retail brand name says. TVP is a byproduct of soy oil manufacture and is highly processed using chemicals such as hexane, itself a byproduct of petroleum production. Residual levels of those processing chemicals are generally accepted to be at safe levels in the finished product but that sort of hyper-processing doesn’t generally leave happy nutritional bunnies wandering through your food. All of these products can give you a welcome protein boost but I don’t think that always outweighs some of the other dietary pitfalls they could possibly throw into your path.
In fact, some non-TVP-brand textured soy protein products are made from a similar process using the very same chemicals. This is the ‘defatted’ part of the ‘defatted soy flour’ you see on the ingredient list. That means you have to be a smart shopper. For starters the ingredient list should really be only one item long. If you see anything other than soy, look for a different brand. Fillers and additives simply aren’t needed to make decent TSP. More importantly, you should look for a maker that uses an organic process, most commonly water-based, to defat their soy flour. Good old Bob’s Red Mill linked above as well as Now Foods brand both assured me their organic versions do in fact use that method but any organic variety you find should clear the chemical-free hurdle. As a bonus to your digestive tract, almost all of those unpleasant stomach churning side effects reported in the field seem limited to more chemically processed products. Those issues are compounded when when home cooks don’t rinse such products properly before adding them to their cauldrons of chili. For the sake of science I subjected my own body to some experiments and did indeed get a noticeable bloated, gassy feeling from unrinsed TVP versus rinsed organically processed TSP. I’ll spare you the details of that night of testing.
Why not give bulgur a try?
Want yet another option completely free from soy? A batch made by using bulgur will yield similarly spectacular results. You can use it in exactly the same fashion as the soy products with the added bonus that no rinsing is needed. Bulgur is simply cracked wheat berries that have been steam cooked and dried. While it’s slightly nutty in taste when eaten directly, all the spice in the context of this chili covers that up and leaves you with a ‘ground beef’ mouth feel. All without any whacky factory additives.
You could use prepared vegetable broth in this recipe too but since you have the time and it’s easy enough to overload the pot with proper veg, there’s no need. After all, water + veg + time = broth. Plus in this fashion you can control what goes into the mix, most notably salt content. Speaking of veg, I cannot even fathom my kitchen without generous supplies of mushrooms. Here they are critical to satisfying traditional chili tastes and I process and cook them in a way to avoid the insipid ‘floppy’ or ‘squishy’ texture that so often puts people off. My only other chili-making tricks are a potato that gets cooked into oblivion as a thickener and my trusty heavy dutch oven which holds heat for a good long while as the flavours fuse together on prep night.
If the idea of soaking and cooking your own beans from dry is going to prevent you from making a batch of this glorious red, by all means go ahead and use well drained and rinsed tinned versions. But c’mon, you’ve got the time and dry beans are a quarter the price. Soak overnight, simmer in salted water until tender, done. How hard is that you bean cooking slackers? Many veg chili recipes include a variety of types like garbanzo or black beans which is totally your choice if you’re multibean-dexterous and they can indeed taste great. However I’ve found that when trying to please a mixed crowd that includes meat eaters, such alien inclusions spook them almost as much as unexpected vegetables like zucchini or butternut. Best get them onboard with small steps before you totally freak them out.
Chili only gets better over the few days after assembly and I’ve found that it never goes to waste. In fact, I often make a double batch while I’m going to the trouble and freeze any (rarely leftover) surplus. If you’re feeding a crowd at a party, have no fear in just doubling this recipe. A pan or two of cornbread alongside and you can call your rowdy gathering menu done and dusted.
Overnight Vegetarian Chili
450 g (~ 1 pound) dry red kidney beans or similar *
25 – 35 g large dry red chile pods, stems and seeds removed (e.g. guajillo, ancho, or pasilla)
120 g (~ 4 ounces) textured soy protein (organically processed is important here!! read above) or bulgur
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, any variety
5 – 8 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
1 – 4 fresh jalapeno chiles, stemmed (to taste, or substitute a convenient variety – hotter or milder)
230 g (8 ounces) mushrooms, any variety, freshly washed
3 medium carrots, peeled
1 large or 2 medium onions, any variety, peeled
2 stalks celery, trimmed
1 medium russet potato, peeled
1 – 798ml (28oz) can diced tomato with liquid, no salt versions preferred
1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorn
3 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika (or substitute smoked Spanish pimenton for some or all of the measure)
2 tablespoons sea salt plus more to taste
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
4 -5 drops liquid smoke (optional)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
* Use tinned versions if you must, roughly four average cans, well drained and rinsed
Yield: Approximately four litres
Hands on/prep time: 30-45 minutes
Soaking: Overnight
Simmering: Great at one hour, even better after three
If you’re wisely using dry beans, place them in a large stock pot (at least eight quart capacity) and cover to at least four times their depth with fresh, cold water. Set aside to soak overnight. For the best texture and nutritional availability, don’t try to cheat with ‘quick cook’ methods found on the back of the packet. If using tinned beans, go and do the bean cost math for at least ten minutes and ponder your pantry stocks.
On the same evening and using kitchen scissors, cut the dry chile pods into roughly one-inch pieces and place in a blender. Cover with boiling water to soak for ten minutes before processing WITH the soaking liquid into a smooth paste.
If using TSP, place it in a small bowl and cover with double the volume of hot water. Set aside to soak for ten minutes and then place the TSP in a strainer to remove the soaking liquid. Apply pressure to ‘squeeze’ out much of the liquid. Return the TSP to a bowl and cover again with hot water. Wait three minutes and strain again covering one final time with hot water. (read above about how this step helps some people with the bloating aftereffects of some soy products) If using bulgur, simply cover with double the volume of boiling water and allow to soak for an hour while you continue with the recipe. No rinse required there.
Toast the cumin seeds and peppercorns in a dry pan over medium heat briefly until fragrant. In a small electric coffee mill, process them with the paprika to a fine powder. In a large enamelled cast iron (heavy) Dutch oven over medium heat, add the oil and spice blend to the cold pan and set on medium heat to warm slowly until fragrant, just a few minutes, watching carefully to avoid scorching.
Meanwhile equip a food processor with a standard blade and first process the garlic & fresh chiles to a very fine dice. Add to the pot stirring well. Process the mushrooms with pulses until finely chopped and add to the pot, stirring often until they have released most of their moisture, about eight minutes. Small amounts of water can be added at any stage to prevent scorching.
Continue processing the carrots, celery, and onions in small batches with pulses to a roughly quarter-inch chopped texture. When the mushrooms have coloured well, add the processed vegetables and stir often until the onions are translucent, about five minutes.
Add one tablespoon sea salt to the vegetable mix along with the processed chile paste, tomatoes, re-hydrated TSP or bulgur, soy sauce, and optional liquid smoke. Bring back to a gentle simmer for ten minutes.
!!!! A caution about cooking with TSP and bulgur, especially over electric burners; Initially they will both tend to ‘sink’ and scorch on the bottom of the pan. Be sure to stir frequently and deeply when the TSP is first added to the pot. Similarly, keep your heat set to medium or lower when cooking and reheating unless you want a scorched bottom to your vat of chili.
Process the potato to a very fine mince (here used as a thickening agent) and add to the vegetable mix. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside to soak for several hours or overnight. The heavy Dutch oven will hold heat for a long time to help the flavours meld.
When ready to continue, drain, rinse, and recover the soaked beans to double their depth with fresh water. Add the remaining tablespoon of sea salt and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes depending on the type of bean used. Drain the beans completely of their cooking liquid and return to the stockpot. If using tinned beans, drain and rinse them completely of their canning liquid and add to a large stockpot.
Add the TSP mixture from the previous evening with enough fresh water * to prevent scorching, roughly a litre (1 quart), and set over medium-low heat to simmer. Stir often to prevent scorching. Taste and adjust salt as necessary after thirty minutes. Cover and continue to simmer on the stove top, stirring occasionally, or move to a low 160C (325F) oven until the flavours have melded to your satisfaction, up to three hours longer. Remove the cover in the final hour of cooking to help thicken.
A word of caution if you taste this mix before the final few hours of simmering – you will find it horrible. The vegetables really need the time to cook and the spices must permeate. You wouldn’t judge a pie before it’s baked so don’t try it with chili before it’s cooked. The change is rather incredible for brave kitchen tasters who want to try “before and after” spoonfuls.
* If you happen to have anything more flavourful than water this is a great place to use it. I save the spare juice from tins of tomatoes used for other cooking in the fridge up to a week for a perfect addition. Dissolving the optional nutritional yeast in this water addition is also another great layer of flavour to add if you’re not cooking for strict vegans. Some people even add beer. It’s your call.
A challenge to the carnivores: Try a bowl at this point. I’ve served this to my neighbours without revealing the ingredients who have commented “How did you get the meat so tender?” Really. With the array of chiles and mushrooms and other great flavours coupled with the texture of the TSP that’s soaked them all up, you’ll have a hard time tasting this as anything but damn good chili. If you absolutely can’t stand it after trying a cup without meat, go ahead and brown off a pound of lean ground beef and simmer it in the mix for a short while. You have absolutely nothing to risk giving this meatless voodoo concoction of mine a go. Remember, I used to be a full-on carnivore myself so this isn’t just whacky hippie advice. I dare you.
Serve in heavy warmed bowls with your choice of cheeses grated on top, a generous scoop of sour cream, freshly diced sweet onions, or simply stacks of crackers and a giant spoon. It only gets better over the next three days and reheats easily. Now go hug a cow… or a soybean… or a wheat field.
v.7.3
