This is part of the Wingman Archives, where I’m sharing all the recipes from our chicken wing stall in Saigon.
I’ve been making this chilli for 20 years. Long before Wingman, long before Vietnam. It ended up on the menu because it was the obvious thing to put on loaded fries and I already knew it worked. It goes on top of the cheese sauce, not under it. Get that order right.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 15 ml oil
- 5 grams hot chilli powder
- 3 grams paprika
- 3 grams ground cumin
- 500 grams lean minced beef
- 1 beef stock cube dissolved in 300 ml hot water
- 400 grams canned chopped tomatoes
- 2 grams dried marjoram
- 5 grams sugar
- 30 grams tomato paste
- 410 grams canned red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook for around 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic, red pepper, chilli powder, paprika and cumin. Stir well and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat up, add the mince and break it up with a spoon. Cook for at least 5 minutes until fully browned with no pink remaining.
- Pour in the beef stock and stir through.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, marjoram, sugar, tomato paste and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Bring to the boil, then put the lid on, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water if it looks like it’s catching.
- Add the kidney beans and bring back to the boil. Simmer uncovered for a further 10 minutes.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. It’ll need more than you think.
- Put the lid back on, turn off the heat and rest for 10 minutes before serving.