Green Chili

Another recipe from the old blog, finally tranferred to the new.

I have noticed that I tend to veer towards dishes that are curry based, since I can let them simmer on the burner for a few hours and let them cook themselves. I also tend to make Indian dishes with non-Indian ingredients or vice-versa. My sister came by this past weekend, and she always looks forward to what I am going to feed her. A teenager who has grown up in the US, she loves all kind of foods, one of which is Chili.

Regular Red chili is essentially small cubed beef in a red tomato-based sauce- unfortunately, I couldn't make that, since my husband is Hindu and wont touch beef. So I opted to make a Green Chili, with American ingredients, but an Indian twist.

And this is what I used:

• 1/2 lb ground turkey (you can substitute ground chicken)
• 4 small tomatillos (you can substitute green tomatoes)
• 2 medium red onions (you can substitute white or yellow, but red brings an Indian-ish flavor, I believe)
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (from your friendly neighborhood Indian grocery store, or just pound together 2 garlic cloves with 1/2 inch of ginger root)
• 1/2 tsp garam masala (optional) 1
• /2 tsp oregano, crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp powdered cumin
• 1/2 cup of fresh corn kernels
• 1 bunch cilantro, cut very fine Salt & pepper to taste.

And this is what I did:

- Oil the bottom of a large pan, and brown the ground turkey, along with the ginger-garlic paste and bay leaves.

- While the meat browns, process the tomatillos and onions to a coarse, 1/2 cm x 1/2 cm size- do not puree!

- Once the turkey becomes a light brown, add the tomatillo and onions, and let cook until they begin to brown- about 15 minutes. Turn frequently, and do not let burn.

- Add all the remaining ingredients (except the cilantro), and 1/2 a pint of water. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for a good 1-2 hours.

- After about 1 hour, taste. A tomatillo is essentially a berry, and native to the Pacific South West and Central America. (See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomatillo) Tomatillos are very sour, and you may find that your chili is sour as well. In which case, you should add another 1/2 cup of fresh corn kernels or 1/2 cup of fine cut onions, and some salt.

- Another 1/2 hour of simmer, and the chili should be extremely thick, not runny in the least- add in the cilantro and if using, diced green onions. turn off the heat.

- If it looks too chunky to you- and yes, it is no more than a very chunky soup- feel free to use a immersion blender- but keep in mind that a smooth soup is not chili at all: DO NOT over process.

And this is what it looked like:

I served the chili with a salad of leafy mixed greens, shredded rotisserie chicken, and croutons, tossed with fat free ranch and garlic salt to taste. You could also serve it over white rice, toast or with crackers. Sis loved it- hubby ate it, which in itself is a victory since I got him to try turkey, which he wasnt enthusiastic about in the first place! Maybe one day he will learn to love sushi as well..... now that I know is just wishful thinking :D