Vegetarian Lentil Chili (Chili sin Carne) with Red Beans

Step-by-step recipe

1. A bowl of meatless chili made with lentils, red kidney beans and lots of different peppers is a very tasty dish. As a friend put it, pure healthy eating and vegetarian, but spicy. You can use red, green or black lentils, whichever you like, or a mix. Bell peppers and canned red kidney beans are sold everywhere, or you can cook a cup of dried beans. Choose hot chili varieties to your taste: jalapeño, cayenne and so on.
   
2. Peel the onion and cut it into large dice. Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil, sunflower or olive, in a frying pan. Fry the onion in the oil until soft. Meanwhile, remove the seeds and stems from all the bell peppers. Cut the bell peppers into large dice; the chili can be sliced crosswise into small pieces seeds and all. Most of the heat is in the seeds, so you can remove them too.
   
3. Add all the chopped peppers to the onion and keep frying together. Fry the onion and peppers over medium heat with the pan uncovered, stirring often. Gradually the peppers will lose moisture and start to brown. Fry until the onion starts to darken and caramelize. Season the vegetables with salt and ground black pepper. Also add ground cumin or caraway: we add quite a lot, a scant 1 tsp, but go by your own taste.
   
4. You can soak the lentils for the chili in cold water beforehand, but they cook well dry too. Just add them to the pan with the fried onion and peppers, stir and fry for 2-3 mins. For a cup of lentils and this amount of vegetables you usually need 3.5-4 cups of water. You can use vegetable stock to keep the dish vegetarian.
   
5. It's best to add the water or stock to the pan in portions, one cup at a time. Add a cup of liquid, wait until the lentils absorb it, then add more. It's the same approach used for risotto. It makes it easy to control how thick the dish ends up: you may need more or less liquid. The finished chili should be about as thick as runny yogurt, and the lentils should be fully cooked and soft.
   
6. Add tomato paste to the meatless chili, which boosts the flavor a lot, and finely chopped garlic. Rinse the cooked red kidney beans a little and add them to the pan. Also add a can of crushed tomatoes, chopping or squashing them by hand first. Stir everything and bring to a boil.
   
7. Add more salt to taste and, if you love truly hot food, some dried ground chili. Adjust the heat as you like. But don't hold back: this dish should be hot. Turn the heat down to below medium and cover the pan. Simmer the chili with lentils and beans for 10-15 mins, stirring from time to time.
   
8. For serving, get ready some sliced chili peppers and a little cilantro or green onion. Corn chips or nachos are often served alongside, though ordinary whole-grain bread works great too. Spoon the chili into bowls, add fresh chili and herbs, and serve hot or warm.
   
9. You can use red kidney beans you've cooked yourself; it's best to soak them overnight before cooking. If you can buy ready-roasted bell peppers, all the better. In season, you can roast the peppers and tomatoes on a grill first: the smoky taste and aroma only help.