Easy Homemade Chilli with Poached Egg

Quick and easy beef chilli served with a lightly poached egg

Normally when I make chilli these days, just like a lot of other people, I will use some form of stewing steak as my meat ingredient, with shin being my particular favourite. The drawback if there can be one of using these tasty cuts is that they do take at least two to three hours to cook. In this instance, I wanted to show how to make a chilli that can pretty much be on the table around half an hour after you start cooking, making it the perfect choice for a tasty, nourishing meal at the end of a busy working day.

Beef is gently browned in a dry frying pan

Ingredients for One Large Portion

1/2 pound minced/ground beef
Small handful of mixed sliced bell peppers (bought in 4 ounce bag from supermarket)
1 medium strength red chiili pepper, sliced in to discs
1/2 medium white onion, peeled and sliced
1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
8 ounce can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
8 ounce can red kidney beans in water
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
Salt and pepper
1 egg
2 tablespoons vinegar for poaching egg
2 or 3 sliced basil leaves to garnish

Peppers, onion and garlic are added to browned beef

Directions

Take the egg from the fridge before you start cooking and set it aside to reach room temperature.

Add the beef to a dry pot and place on a gentle heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon to evenly brown and seal. This should take a couple of minutes or so.

Add the peppers, onion and garlic to the pot and continue to cook in the same way for another minute or so until the onion strands are just softened and starting to glisten.

Tomatoes and seasonings are added to beef and vegetables

Pour the tomtoes in to the pot and season with salt, pepper and the cumin.

Chilli is brought to a gentle simmer

Stir very well and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for fifteen minutes.

Red kidney beans are added to chilli

Put the red kidney beans in to a colander and wash the canning impurities away under running cold water. Allow to sit for a few minutes to drain before adding to the fifteen minute simmered chilli. Stir and bring back to a simmer for five more minutes.

There is nothing in actual fact difficult about poaching an egg but equally there are many things which can go wrong if you're not aware of the correct procedures. The video below shows exactly how I poach an egg in gently simmering water containing vinegar.



Spoon the chilli in to a deep serving plate and carefully lift the poached egg on top with a slotted spoon. Garnish with the sliced basil.

Chilli and poached egg are garnished with a little finely sliced basil