Chili, Chilli, chile, know the difference. We are talking about our favorite meaty, spicy chili. The truth is that no restaurant chili can substitute for your mother’s or grandmother’s homemade chili. Although this dish has simple ingredients, it involves certain tips and tricks to cook it to perfection. There is no perfect recipe for chili, as it is a customized dish that has been played with for ages. A perfect chili has a balanced consistency, neither too thick nor too watery. If your homemade chili looks thick, you would be wondering whether to add water to chili or not? Let us discuss this in detail.
Texture/ consistency of chili:
The perfect chili tastes like a complex balance of sweet, sour, fresh, and hot. The creamy texture of beans and meaty taste combined with the spices renders a bomb taste. Chili requires cooking for extended periods. Meat needs to be cooked well. Thus, it requires adding enough liquid to prevent the chili from burning out. The chili ingredients include ground meat, some spices like chili powder and peppers, beans, capsicum, garlic, onions, and tomatoes. Sometimes, the resultant chili can be soupy or too thick. Simmer with the lid off to boil the chili or add tomato paste to thicken it. However, thick consistency can be dealt with by adding liquid.
Do You Add Water To Chili?
The easy answer is no. Adding water to chili would cause it to lose its flavor. Water does not go well with chili and causes it to become diluted.
So, what if your chili is too thick? Add chicken or beef broth. The broth is a liquid obtained from simmering meat or bones, and vegetables in water. The resultant liquid is highly nutritious and is used for different culinary purposes. If you are using chicken in the chili, add chicken stock and beef stock in case of beef chili. Vegetable chili is not as famous, but in this scenario, use vegetable broth. Broth serves the purpose of a liquid and adds to the flavor of the chili. If the broth is not available, you can add water, but again it will lose the essential taste. The best bet is to make the broth rather than ruining the overall taste by adding water. Cook the chili long enough to extract the flavor of each ingredient.
Health benefits:
Nothing in this world was created without a purpose. Chili has protein in meat, the fiber in spices and beans, and vitamin C in peppers. Adding capsicum adds to the rich taste of chili and can promote weight loss, boost your immune system, and even improve your mood.
Bottom note:
Making chili is not a simple mathematics formula. The recipe varies from person to person, and you should follow the tiniest details. In case your chili is too thick, you can add water, but the chili would lose its flavor. So, make some broth according to the type of meat you are using in the chili. Add accordingly and cook till you achieve the desired consistency. Enjoy the delicious and meaty chili with your favorite Netflix show!