Black Bean Chili With Toasted Spices

Winter has officially come to Canada and this warming black bean chili with brown rice is an ideal dish to help with the December blues. Dry-toasted spices, along with the surprising addition of fennel, give this pot a unique and delicious smoky pungency. Best of all, one large bowl is a meal unto itself.

This is my entry to Running with Tweezers' Chili Cook-off.

Black bean chili with toasted spices

1 cup dried black beans
1/2 cup brown rice
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
2 large jalapeños, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
4 sun-dried tomatoes
1 large tomato, chopped finely
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
fresh ground black pepper

Soak the beans in water overnight in 2 2/3 cups water with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added, and soak the brown rice in a separate pan or bowl in 1 cup of water.

Bring the beans to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat to low, add the ginger, jalapeños, half of the fresh cilantro and the bay leaf, and cover. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are soft but not falling apart.

Meanwhile, bring the rice to a boil in a small saucepan, reduce heat to low and cover, cooking for half an hour. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

While the rice and beans are cooking, soak the sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 20-30 minutes. Drain and chop. About one hour into the cooking time for the beans, place the cumin seeds in another small saucepan over medium heat and toast for a couple of minutes until the seeds darken. Stir in the tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, chili powder and oregano. Turn the heat up slightly to bring the sauce to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the beans are cooked, remove from the heat and use a masher or hand-blender to coarsely purée one-quarter to one-third of the cooked beans. Stir in the tomato sauce, rice and salt, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Put the mustard seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat, cover with a lid, and toast, shaking the pan, until the seeds begin to pop. Quickly toss in the fennel seeds, cover again, and continue to toast until the mustard seeds stop popping. Pour into the beans and season the chili with black pepper.

Garnish each serving with the remaining cilantro. Serves 4 to 6.