Claire is a chef, food writer and author of 8, soon to be 9, cookery books. Her latest and best-selling cookbook is called
Tomato.
Want to give your veggie meals an umami boost? Yeast extract is a natural ingredient that comes from the same fresh yeast used for baking and beer- and bread-making. Although yeast extract is 100% vegan, its flavour profile is deep and mouth-watering, with a delicious umami kick, making it the perfect ally to beef up your favourite vegetarian and vegan recipes. Best-selling food author and chef Claire Thomson (aka 5 O’Clock Apron) shares how she uses yeast extract and other tips and tricks to give her tasty red bean chilli a meatless flavour upgrade.
Watch the video and try the recipe for yourself to find out how you can use yeast extract to level-up your everyday plant-based dishes.
Ingredients (serves 4 people)
– 800g (drained weight) kidney beans
– 2 tbsp neutral flavoured oil, or use coconut oil
– 1 onion, peeled and finely diced
– 1 green pepper, diced
– 1 red pepper, diced
– 3 – 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
– 3 bay leaves, scrunched a little
– 1 cinnamon stick
– Small bunch of coriander, stalks finely sliced, leaves roughly chopped
– Salt and pepper, to taste
– 1 tbsp tomato puree
– 1 tsp yeast extract
– 2 tsp ground cumin
– 2 tsp dried oregano
– 1 tsp sweet paprika
– Pinch of chipotle flakes, or use regular chilli flakes
– ½ tsp ancho chilli powder, more or less to taste, or regular chilli powder
– 1x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
– 150ml coconut milk, or use water
– 40g dark chocolate
– Fresh red chilli, finely sliced, to serve, optional
– 1 juicy lime, to serve
Preparation
- In a pan over a moderate heat, add the oil and cook the onions and peppers until soft, around 10 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves, coriander stalks and cinnamon stick, and season well with salt and pepper then cook for 2 minutes more.
- Add the yeast extract and the tomato puree and cook for 1 minute more, mixing well to combine. Add the ground spices and chilli flakes. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes more.
- Add the tin of tomatoes and simmer for around 3 – 5 minutes over moderate heat. Mixing well from time to time.
- Add the drained beans and the coconut milk, bring the pan to a steady simmer, lid on then reduce the heat to moderate – low and cook for around 30 minutes. You can also cook this in the oven at 180C with a lid on for the same time.
- Remove the lid from the pan, add the dark chocolate in cubes and mix well to melt. Add the juice of a lime and remove from the heat. Check the seasoning, adjusting with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the chilli with the remaining chopped coriander leaf and fresh chilli, if using. Serve the bean chilli with cooked rice on the side.
Instagram: 5oclockapron
