- 1 celery stick
- 1 red onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 carrot
- 400g tin of aduki beans
- 400g tin of haricot beans
- 1 orange
- 1½ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 400g tinned cherry tomatoes
- 4 white tortillas
- 100g cheddar
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
- Sea salt
- 200ml cold water
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1.
Trim the celery. Peel the onion, 1 garlic clove and the carrot. Roughly dice everything. Heat a large pan over a medium heat for 1 min, then add ½ tbsp oil, the chopped veg, garlic and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook gently for 10 mins till softened.
- 2.
While the veg cook, drain the aduki and haricot beans in a colander and rinse. Grate the zest off the orange.
- 3.
Stir the orange zest into the veg with 1 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp ground cumin and the cinnamon stick. Stir for 1 min.
- 4.
Stir in the beans and the tinned cherry tomatoes. Half-fill the can with water (around 200ml) and pour into the pan. Season with a little pepper. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 mins, stirring now and then.
- 5.
While the chilli cooks, heat your oven to 180°C/ Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Chop the tortillas into around 8 triangles each and spread them out on 1 large or 2 medium baking trays.
- 6.
Coarsely grate the cheddar. Sprinkle half over the tortilla chips and dust them with ½ tsp smoked paprika. Slide them into the oven and bake for 5-10 mins till golden and the cheese is bubbling. Set to one side.
- 7.
While the tortillas bake, peel and thinly slice the remaining 2 garlic cloves. Heat ½ tbsp oil in a small pan over a low heat. When hot, add in the sliced garlic with a pinch of salt. Fry for 2 mins till golden and crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper to drain.
- 8.
Add 1 tsp cocoa powder to the chilli. Stir, then taste again. It should taste rich and spicy. Add a little more cocoa, salt, pepper or smoked paprika if you think it needs it.
- 9.
Spoon the big bean chilli into 2 warm bowls. Top with the crisp garlic and the remaining cheddar. Serve with the tortilla chips on the side for scooping.
- Tip
Chocs away
You can turn any leftover cocoa into hot chocolate. Warm a mug or milk (or almond or rice milk). Put the cocoa powder in a mug and slowly whisk in the hot milk. For a Mexican twist, add a pinch of cinnamon and chilli powder.