There’s chili, and then there’s chili that you think about long after the bowl is empty, when the scent of spices lingers only faintly in the air. This mole-inspired turkey and sweet potato chili is of the latter kind: a simple meal that turns a weeknight into a special occasion.
作為一名喜歡安撫感覺食物的食譜開發者與部落格作者，十月是鑄鐵鍋從冬眠中重新出動的時候。一旦天氣降溫，我就想要一些深色且香料濃郁、能讓整個廚房充滿烤香辣椒與燉煮高湯香氣的料理，讓整個家裡感覺溫暖起來。就在這個時候，這道辣味濃郁、煙熏且層次分明的辣椒湯應運而生，甜薯在高湯中慢慢變軟，還有一個神秘而美味的可可與肉桂底味，讓人難以分辨它到底是怎麼煮出來的。
人人都以為好辣椒湯的關鍵在於正確平衡的新鮮香料。但我認為一切都從乾辣椒開始；這次使用的是 ancho 與 guajilo 辣椒，先在平底鍋中烘香，然後浸泡並打成泥狀。這是西南風格的技法，讓這道菜與你在週日煮的罐頭辣椒湯區別開來。如果你在週日做這道菜，整週都能吃到剩菜，而且每過一天味道就越好。”
Gather the ingredients for mole-Inspired turkey and sweet potato chili
To make this Southwestern chili, you’ll need dried ancho and guajillo chiles, olive oil, ground turkey, yellow onion, garlic cloves, tomato paste, unsweetened cocoa powder, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, sweet potatoes, canned black beans, brown sugar, kosher salt, and black pepper. To garnish the bowls, I love using avocados, fresh cilantro leaves, and crumbled queso fresco.
Step 1: Toast the chiles
Toast the ancho and guajillo chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat, pressing down with a spatula, until fragrant and slightly darkened, about 1 minute per side.
Step 2: Soak the chiles in hot water
Transfer the chiles to a heatproof bowl and cover with 2 cups of hot water. Let soak for 20 minutes, until softened.
Step 3: Liquefy the chiles
Drain the chiles, reserving ½ cup of the soaking liquid. Transfer the chiles and reserved liquid to a blender and blend until smooth.
Step 4: Preheat a Dutch oven
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Step 4: Brown the turkey
Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking it up, until browned, about 6 minutes.
Step 5: Add the aromatics
Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Step 6: Add garlic and spices
Add the garlic, tomato paste, cocoa powder, cumin, and cinnamon, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Step 7: Add the chile, tomatoes, and broth
Stir in the chile puree, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer.
Step 8: Cook the chile uncovered
Add the sweet potatoes and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
Step 9: Add the black beans and sugar
Stir in the black beans and brown sugar and simmer for 10 minutes more. Season with the salt and pepper.
Step 10: Dress with toppings
Serve topped with the avocado, cilantro, and queso fresco.
What can I serve with chili?
Mole-Inspired Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili Recipe
A mole-like sauce flavored with guajillo and ancho chiles, cocoa, and spices forms the base of our satisfying turkey and black bean chile recipe.
Total time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
- 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds ground turkey
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocao powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 avocados, sliced, for serving
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, for serving
- ½ cup crumbled queso fresco, for serving
- Toast the ancho and guajillo chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat, pressing down with a spatula, until fragrant and slightly darkened, about 1 minute per side.
- Transfer the chiles to a heatproof bowl and cover with 2 cups of hot water. Let soak for 20 minutes, until softened.
- Drain the chiles, reserving ½ cup of the soaking liquid. Transfer the chiles and reserved liquid to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking it up, until browned, about 6 minutes.
- Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, tomato paste, cocoa powder, cumin, and cinnamon, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Stir in the chile puree, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the sweet potatoes and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
Can you turn this chili into a burrito?
我喜歡把辣椒剩下的湯汁以各種意想不到的方式重新利用——把它混在雞蛋和馬鈴薯做成早餐、與玉米片一起吃、或與米飯混著做成快速的配菜。不過我最喜歡的做法，是把已吸滿湯汁的剩辣煮成卷餅，用來捲著吃。
要開始這個過程，先注意湯汁的量。辣椒湯在冷卻時會變得更濃稠，但若剩下的高湯或醬料過多，可能需要把湯汁過濾，僅使用肉塊部分。你也可以把剩餘的醬汁當作高湯喝下，或與米飯拌在一起作為附側。你也可以把辣椒重新煮開，讓它保持微滾，開蓋煮個多十分鐘至十幾分鐘，讓濃稠度更濃，碗底留下一條清晰的痕跡。
接著取一大塊中筋麵餅（玉米餅或麵粉餅皆可），加熱至柔韌，成為包捲的關鍵。把辣椒餡放在中間，若想更有份量就再加些米飯，然後在上面鋪上酪梨片、香菜和 queso fresco 再把餅皮卷起。如果你想要做成卷餅碗，可以用雞湯煮過的米飯作為底座，並層疊辣椒與配料。”
What are ancho and guajile peppers, and what can I use in their place?
Ancho 和 guajilo 是墨西哥烹飪中最常見的兩種乾辣椒，合在一起形成這道辣椒湯的風味基底。Ancho 辣椒是烘乾後的 poblanos，煎後呈現深紅棕色、皺紋且寬扁，香辣適中，帶有泥土感、甜味與巧克力風味。Guajilo 辣椒更亮色、酸度較高，皮薄、果香明亮而帶有酸香。兩者辣度都不算高，市面上也很容易買到。
但如果找不到它們，也有替代方案。Guajilo 可以用乾燥的新墨西哥辣椒替代，同樣帶果香且溫和。Ancho 可改用安國辣椒粉，比例大概是一個乾辣椒一大湯匙粉末。另一個不錯的替代是 Anaheim 乾辣椒，辣度更低一些。
請注意，如果你使用乾辣椒粉，則跳過“腥香爆香與打成泥”的步驟，這樣可以節省時間；不過風味與口感的層次感會略有不同，所以若可能的話，還是盡量找真正的乾辣椒新鮮麵條去使用。
林 婉妮
我是一位喜歡料理、育兒觀察與居家生活的媽媽，也是婗媽的創作者。透過這個部落格，我想分享真實、實用又溫暖的日常經驗，從家常食譜到孩子成長小技巧，陪更多媽媽一起把家的生活過得更輕鬆。