Zutaten

200 g dried chillies (ancho, pasilla, guajillo)

500 g diced beef shoulder or shin (stewing beef)

1 large onion

3 cloves garlic

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp Mexican oregano

50 g dark chocolate

250 ml beef stock

a little flour

Salt, pepper

Zubereitung

  1. Cut open the dried chillies and remove the seeds.
  2. Dry-toast the chillies for about 40 seconds on each side, until they soften slightly.
  3. Soak in hot water for 30 minutes.
  4. Drain the water (keeping some aside) and purée the soaked chillies. Adjust the consistency with the remaining water, similar to tomato paste.
  5. Pass everything through a sieve for a smoother consistency.
  6. Dice the meat, season with salt and pepper, and dust with flour.
  7. Sear on all sides until golden brown.
  8. Remove the meat, add the onion to the pot and fry.
  9. Add the garlic and fry briefly.
  10. Return the meat to the pot.
  11. Pour in the chilli paste.
  12. Add the cumin and oregano.
  13. Adjust the consistency with beef stock.
  14. Simmer for about 2 hours over low heat.
  15. Season again with salt and pepper.
  16. Right at the end, stir in the dark chocolate.

EIN PAAR WEITERE TIPPS FÜR DICH

The original behind the chili con carne you know

What most people know as "chili con carne" is usually the Tex-Mex version with ground beef, beans and canned tomatoes – a dish that only developed outside Mexico. Chili Colorado is the original Mexican recipe behind it: far simpler in its ingredients, yet more intense in flavour.

Dried chillies instead of chilli powder

The key difference lies in the chilli component. Instead of ready-made chilli powder, this recipe uses whole dried pods – classically a combination of ancho, pasilla and guajillo. They're briefly dry-toasted, soaked in hot water, then puréed into a fine paste and passed through a sieve. It's this freshly made paste that gives the dish its deep, layered chilli flavour: fruity and mild from the ancho and pasilla, with a fine acidity and heat from the guajillo.

Slow-braised beef

Instead of ground beef, Chili Colorado uses diced beef from the shoulder or shin – classic braising cuts. Dusted with flour and seared hard, it becomes tender, almost falling apart, after simmering for around two hours in the chilli paste. Cumin and Mexican oregano add the earthy, spiced notes typical of Mexican cooking.

Chocolate: the secret ingredient

Right at the end, a piece of dark chocolate goes in – unusual to outsiders, but a well-known principle in Mexican cooking, also found in the famous mole sauce. The chocolate doesn't make the dish sweet; it rounds off the heat and adds extra depth and a velvety texture to the sauce.

Chili Colorado vs. Tex-Mex chili con carne

No ground beef, no beans, no canned tomatoes: Chili Colorado shows what the original tasted like before its Tex-Mex evolution. If you've only ever had the more familiar version, this offers a completely different, more original flavour experience – shaped by toasting and slowly soaking the chillies rather than quick chilli powder.