Hearty Chili

Growing up in North Jakarta, there was an American fast food restaurant chain called Wendy's at a nearby mall. I used to love eating there, their food is so full of flavour. My favourite Wendy's meal was their Broccoli Cheese Potato (YUM!), Wendy's melt burger, and their Chili side dish. Unfortunately there is no Wendy's in Melbourne. 

I was watching a Big Bang Theory episode - the one with Priya cooking Chili for the boys, and I had sudden craving for Wendy's Chili. I can't take Chili off my mind on my way home from work so I did a quick research on the Internet for some easy Chili recipes, and I cooked Chili for the first time in my life. My craving was satisfied! The weather was cold in Melbourne that the Chili was warming and it tasted delicious. This recipe will feed four people.

Ingredients

Half kilo of minced beef

One large red capsicum - cut to small bits

One big can of red kidney beans - drain

One regular can of corn kernel - drain

One big can of cherry tomatoes - You can choose regular canned tomatoes if you like, I prefer cherry tomatoes as they are sweeter 

One red onion - chop to thin slices

Two cloves of garlic - mince

A packet of Ol Del Paso Chili spice mix - three table spoons
Salt
Olive Oil

Parsley (optional)

Cooking method

Heat a good slash of olive oil in a big pot, cook the spice mix until fragrant. Put in the red onion and garlic, cook until the red onion becomes translucent. Insert minced beef, and stir well, sprinkle a good pinch of salt, keep stirring until the beef is cooked thoroughly. Put in red capsicum slices, stir well and leave to cook for a minute. 

Add in the cherry tomatoes and all the juice from the can to the pot. Bring it to boil and keep stirring. Add red kidney beans, corn kernel and stir well. Leave to boil / cook on low heat for about two minutes, stirring the mixture regularly. Taste the balance of flavours. If the chilli mixture is too thick, add a small splash of water. I found that my Chili needed more salt than expected, so keep adding salt just a pinch at the time until the taste is right. If you like a stronger taste of spice, you can add more of the spice mix.

Stir in chopped parsley (optional) to the Chili and serve a generous amount beside steamed rice on a plate / bowl.