Vegan Chili with Impossible Beef

A hearty and complex vegetarian and vegan chili recipe that utilizes dried chiles, spices, umami bombs, and textural elements. Of the fake meats, I’ve found Impossible Beef to work the best. You can substitute other brands but just make sure to match the weight. Similarly, you can substitute the kidney beans for another bean, or even a medley of beans of the same volume.

If you’re more into the beans than the meat here, you may want to consider making a rajma instead.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup kidney beans (or 2 15oz cans)

Chili paste

• 3 big dried chiles (New Mexico, California, ancho, etc), stemmed and seeded
• 3 dried árbol chiles (or any small/hot dried red chiles like Japanese), stemmed
• 1 Tbsp coriander powder
• 1 Tbsp cumin powder
• 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Vegemite/Marmite
• 1/4 cup tortilla chips, crumbled

Aromatics and base

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 package Impossible Beef (12 oz)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 serrano chile, minced
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1 28oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• salt & pepper

1. Prep the beans
   • If using dried beans:
     • Brine soak and stove top: soak them 6+ hours in 15g salt and 5g baking soda in 4c water, rinse and then cook in 4c water for ~40 mins or until tender to your liking.
     • Instant Pot/pressure cooker:  soak them 6+ hours in 4c water or quick soak and discard soaking water way.  Then pressure cook per instant pot or pressure cooker directions in 4c water.
   • If using canned beans, just open the cans and set aside.
2. Make the chili paste
   • Heat dry pan on medium heat and toast dried chiles until aromatic and starting to change color; remove from heat before they burn and start to blacken
   • Add toasted chiles to blender along with all other chili paste ingredients and blend until you get a smooth paste.  Add a little water if needed to help to blend.
3. Cooking the vegan chili
   • Heat oil in pot on medium-high until shimmering and add cinnamon, bay leaves, onions, and salt & pepper, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5-8 minutes
   • Add impossible beef and break up into crumbles and cook until nice and browned and crispy on the edges, about 5 minutes
   • Add garlic, serrano, and dried oregano and stir for a minute or two
   • Add tomatoes and beans and cook, partially covered for about a half hour, until reduced a bit.  Then remove and discard bay leaves and cinnamon.
   • Add vinegar, stir and check the flavor.  Firstly, add more salt if needed.  If the tomatoes were on the dull side you may want to add a bit of sugar too.  
4. Garnish options: cilantro, sour cream/crema, minced onions, fritos, cheese (shredded cheddar/jack/Oaxaca, crumbled cotija or feta), frank’s red hot sauce, chopped avocado