Hispanic and Asian flavors combine for quick chili
A robust chili that’s on the table in just 30 minutes? Thanks to a blending of Hispanic and Asian flavors, it’s easy.
I started with the base of an average turkey chili — some onions, jalapeños, garlic, ground turkey and white beans. Nothing unexpected there. But all those basics get a serious flavor boost from an unexpected ingredient — sweet white miso. It’s the same stuff used in the soup you slurp at the sushi bar.
Miso is an underappreciated ingredient. It effortlessly amps the savory-salty flavor of anything it touches, particularly in wet rubs and other sauces for meat. In this recipe, it replicates in just minutes a depth of flavor you’d normally need a long simmer to attain.
And don’t be put off by the “sweet” in the name. Sweet white miso isn’t really sweet, just milder than darker miso.
The chili is finished with corn kernels cut from the cob and just barely heated, preserving their fresh flavor and texture. And to tie everything together, the chili is finished with cilantro and lime juice.
Ÿ J.M. Hirsch is the food editor for The Associated Press. He blogs at LunchBoxBlues.com and tweets @JM—Hirsch. Email him at jhirsch@ap.org.