In my secondary school, we used to have this weird bean stew with meat in it. Now, before you imagine that I went to some Four Points by Sheraton type of school, stop it. Don’t get your hopes up.

I schooled in Barkin Ladi, Plateau state. So, it was much easier for them to get fresh produce and his made the food a lot more endurable some of the time.

Shoutout to fresh farm produce saving lives. It wasn’t until I graduated that I realized that that bean stew, was their attempt at making Chilli. They get a E for effort.

I then decided to make some chili of my own, and I named this baby Chili gone rogue(thanks BCA).

So, let’s go on this amazing nostalgic journey.

I got everything fresh from the market on a wonderful market day. I got mince meat, kidney beans, blended tomatoes, and lots of spices.

I used dried kidney beans in this recipe. Something I had never done before. This was an experience I am glad I had. When I got the beans, I asked how to cook them, and I was told  to soak them for a minimum of 24 hours prior to cooking. I was beyond shocked, but I decided to go on this adventure. With a little research, I found out that simply put, beans needs soaking because it’ll help release chemicals that aren’t digestible therefore causing gas, and makes it cook for a shorter period. Once I got home, I measured out 2 cups of beans and rid it of every weird looking bean. Once measured and picked, I washed them properly, put about 5 cups of water into a bowl with a lid, and submerged my beans in there for  2 days. I changed the water about 5 times in those 2 days.

Finally when the two days were over, the beans had swollen to a great extent. They had started to look like kidney beans properly. I filled a saucepan with 4 cups of water brought to a boil, added the beans and let them boil for about 20 minutes. Drained and rinsed, they were ready or the chilli.

Chilli is a really easy recipe. And this chilli gone rogue is even easier. So, let’s get to making it.

Ready in 1- 2 hours

Serves 3 people

Ingredients

• 1/4 Ginger root
• 2 large Cloves of garlic
• Pinch of Cumin
• 2 diced Red bell peppers aka tatase
• 4 Chilli peppers aka shombo for the price
• Chili powder (to taste)
• 1 scotch bonnet (if you want extra spice)
• 2&1/2 cups of tomato paste
• 200g Mince meat
• 2 Cups of prepared kidney beans
• 1/2 Onions (red)
• 2 Stock cubes/ 3 cups of meat stock
• Salt (to taste).

Preparation

• In a soup pot, heat about a tablespoon of oil. Add your mince meat, garlic, ginger, salt and ground cloves, and stir until brown.
• Add your bell peppers, chopped onion, and chili peppers. Stir until the onions are translucent.
• Add your tomato paste, and kidney beans, as well as your stock. If you don’t have any stock, simply add 3 cups of water, and two stock cubes.
• Add ground cumin, chili powder and scotch bonnet.
• Leave to simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes – 1 hour (or more) on low heat ( I used the small burner on low). Until the beans are well cooked.
• And voila! Your easy chili is ready to go.

We usually had ours with white rice, but this is delicious enough to eat alone, and alone did I eat it.

Let me know what you think, and if you tried this recipe, please send a photo!

Have a delicious week.

Unekwu.