Spiced Beef and Pumpkin Chili
- Savory
- Comforting
- Mild
- Stovetop
- Oven
Ground beef and pumpkin simmered with kidney beans and tomatoes in a warm, gently spiced sauce. A thick, hearty bowl built on toasted ground spices.
- Total
- 55 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 40
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Toasting spices · Simmering
Instructions
-
Peel the onion and chop it into 1 cm pieces. Peel the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds, and cut the flesh into 2 cm cubes. Drain the kidney beans in a colander and drain the tomatoes, keeping them in a bowl.
~10 min
Cut the pumpkin into even 2 cm cubes so it softens in the same time as the sauce reduces; larger pieces will still be firm when the liquid is gone.
-
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft and lightly golden at the edges, about 6 minutes.
~6 min
Cooking the onion until lightly golden builds sweetness and depth through caramelization, forming the flavor base for the chili.
-
Add the beef mince and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains and the liquid has cooked off, about 8 minutes. Season with 0.5 tsp of the salt and the black pepper.
~8 min
Letting the liquid cook off before browning allows the beef to sear rather than steam, developing richer flavor.
-
Lower the heat to medium. Add the ground cumin, ground coriander, paprika, curry powder, turmeric, cinnamon, chili powder and dried oregano. Stir constantly for 45 seconds until the spices smell toasted and coat the beef, taking care not to let them burn.
~1 min
Toasting spices in fat for under a minute blooms their aromatic oils, deepening flavor; longer and they turn bitter.
Toasting the ground spices for under a minute is what gives this chili its depth; if they start to darken or stick, pull the pot off the heat at once so they do not turn bitter.
Toasting spices Stir spices constantly in fat over medium heat for under a minute until fragrant; pull off the heat immediately if they darken to avoid bitterness.
-
Add the pumpkin, tomatoes, kidney beans, 250 ml water and the remaining 1 tsp salt. Stir well, scraping up the browned bits, then bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook, stirring now and then, until the pumpkin is tender when pierced with a knife and the sauce has thickened, 20 to 25 minutes.
~25 min
Scraping up the browned bits (deglazing) dissolves their concentrated flavor into the sauce, while simmering tenderizes the pumpkin and reduces the liquid.
Simmering Maintain a gentle simmer with small bubbles, not a rolling boil, and stir occasionally so the sauce reduces evenly without scorching.
-
Uncover and simmer for a final 5 minutes to thicken the sauce to a spoon-coating consistency. Taste and adjust the salt, then serve hot.
~5 min
Uncovering lets moisture evaporate so the sauce reduces and thickens, concentrating flavor and giving it a clingy texture.
Simmering Maintain a gentle simmer with small bubbles, not a rolling boil, and stir occasionally so the sauce reduces evenly without scorching.
