Chili Rice

I have been a long time fan of chili rice.  My first experience with it was late at night, off the suggestion of a friend.  The steaming bowl was accompanied by a chocolate milk shake, and I was sold for life.

Chili Rice is a very alien concept to an Okie (person from Oklahoma… though don’t you say it if you’re not from there).  Chili is usually served in a bowl with crackers on the side, or served on top of a hot dog, or even better, served on a bed of Fritos- ala Frito Chili Pie. 

I am afraid my friends who have lived in Hawaii a long time will think me a little funny.  How could rice not go good with something?  Why would I think putting rice in a bowl and covering it with chili was strange?  Trust me I’m converted now, but people in Oklahoma don’t usually assume rice goes with everything.

Though how peculiar did you think it was when I said we put chili on top of Fritos?  It all makes perfect sense really, in fact it’s pretty much the same thing; a bed of starch plus a delicious spicy chili.

My mother would like me to warn people that my chili is hardly traditional chili.  Which I accept.  I have never made “real” chili.  Mine is some strange hybrid of some of my favorite chili components with a few extras.  So here is quick rundown of how it works:

It all starts with another fancy mirepoix- but this time no butter, I like to render some bacon in the pot first- then dump in a few chopped celery stalks, a diced onion, and let all that cook down while I prep the rest.

I load the chili with ground beef, though I love bison when I can find it cheap, and spicy turkey sausage; this way I can call it healthy.  Give those a good sprinkle of Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Hawaiian Sea Salt, Chili Powder, Cayenne, Red Pepper Flakes, Cinnamon, and Basil.

I love roasted vegetables, so my chili gets a nice portion of some toasty diced Eggplant, a couple roasted Red Peppers, and a couple little roasted peppers.

Once everything is happy in its pot, I toss in the crushed tomatoes and sometimes a few ripe tomatoes cut into nice big chunks.  Lastly, in goes the corn- which is a good substitute in terms of mouth feel for the beans since no one seems to care much for beans anyway.

When feeling more traditional I add some beer before letting it simmer down for a few hours- when feeling untraditional I add red wine. 

Voila!  Delicious Matt-kine Chili.  It may not be like that of my homeland- but my roommate says its better than Zippy’s and that’s good enough for me.