Black bean chili should be primarily about the beans they should be creamy, tender, and well seasoned. Knowing that dried beans supply superior texture, we looked for ways to boost the meaty flavor of the
chili. The answer was white mushrooms, which also lent plenty of body. Whole cumin seeds and minced chipotles added depth and smokiness, and a surprise addition, toasted mustard seeds, provided more complexity. Served with a spritz of lime and a sprinkle of minced cilantro, this rich, hearty chili was so satisfying that no one missed the meat. We strongly prefer the texture and flavor of mustard seeds and cumin seeds in this chili; however, ground cumin and dry mustard can be substituted—add ½ teaspoon ground cumin and/or ½ teaspoon dry mustard to the pot with the chili powder in step 3. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, chopped tomatoes, and/or minced onion.
Ingredients
- 1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and broken into rough pieces
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- 9 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2½ cups vegetable broth
- 2½ cups water, plus extra as needed
- 1 pound (2½ cups) dried black beans, picked over and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces
- ½ cup minced fresh cilantro
- Salt
- Lime wedges
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Pulse mushrooms in food processor until uniformly coarsely chopped, about 10 pulses.
- Toast mustard seeds and cumin seeds in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in oil, onion, and processed mushrooms, cover, and cook until vegetables have released their liquid, about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until vegetables are browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and chipotle and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in chili powder and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, water, beans, sugar, baking soda, and bay leaves and bring to simmer, skimming as needed. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook for 1 hour.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes and bell peppers and continue to cook in oven, covered, until beans are fully tender, about 1 hour longer. (If chili begins to stick to bottom of pot or is too thick, add water as needed.) Remove pot from oven and discard bay leaves.
- Stir in cilantro, season with salt to taste, and serve with lime wedges.