Kick-ass chili

This is a one-pot wonder. All of the ingredients are common in China.

Ingredients:

Dried Black Beans
Dried Red Beans
Dried White Beans (optional)
Meat (optional)--cut into small cubes
Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
5-spice--to taste
white or black pepper--to taste
salt--to taste
2 or 3 dried chili peppers
Red Bell pepper
Green Bell pepper
4 or 5 tomatoes--diced
cilantro or celery (your choice)


Directions:

If you do not have canned beans, you will have to buy dried beans and soak them for at least 6 hours before cooking them. I recommend letting them soak over night.

Soak the beans in a large bowl. To do this, place the amount of beans you will need (if you are cooking for 7-10 servings with meat, you should use about 3 or 4 handfuls of beans total. If you are doing this without meat, use 5 or 6 handfuls) and cover them with cold water for at least 6 hours or over night up to 12 hours.

In a large pot with high sides and a lid, sautee the diced onions and garlic in some olive oil. When the onions and garlic are clear and begin to turn golden, add the meat chunks. Brown the meat almost all the way. Turn the heat down to med-low. Drain the old water off the beans and add just enough new water to make them float a little. Add to the meat. Stir in your preferred spices until you can taste them. As the spices cook, the flavor becomes stronger. Let the pot come to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

While pot is simmering, dice 2 or 3 dried chili peppers. If you don't like it too hot, remove the seeds and add to the pot. Slice or dice the bell peppers, tomatoes, and celery or cilantro (use the leaves of the celery, too) and add them to the pot at the end of the simmer time. Allow to cook an additional 15 minutes or until the beans are soft. You may have to add a little more water to maintain the liquid level. Use more water if you like your chili to be more of a soup, use less if you like it thicker.

Enjoy. total cook time (without waiting for beans) is about 1 hour. 10 servings.

This chili is more of a dark brown or even black color rather than red depending on the proportions of black beans.

I also recommend adding fresh corn.