THAI CHILI

FL040: OPTIONS
February 8, 2021

From the lab reports of Limo Research: Our technicians have found that a recipe known as Booma’s Revenge, winner of the 2007 International Chili Society championship cookoff, shares DNA with jin hoom neua, a Thai beef soup whose preparation Andy Ricker painstakingly documented in the 2013 cookbook Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand. The basic sequence: make a spicy paste, dilute it in stock, add unseared meat and simmer slowly, and wait to add “base” ingredients like onion or tomatoes until last. Caramelize nothing.

In the spirit of experimentation, let us splice the recipes together.

Goal: science
Yield: about 4 quarts (12 servings)
Leftover strategy: freeze it in carbonite

FOR THE GENE POOL

  • 1/2 ounce stemmed puya chiles, soaked until soft in just enough hot water to submerge them (do not drain)

  • one 4-ounce can whole roasted Hatch green chilis

  • 1 3/4 ounces peeled garlic cloves

  • 4 1/2 ounces peeled shallots

  • 1 1/2 ounce piece galangal

  • 1 ounce peeled fresh turmeric

  • 1 ounce thinly sliced lemongrass (tender parts only)

  • 1 teaspoon cayenne

  • 2 tablespoons mild California or Anaheim chile powder

  • 2 tablespoons hot New Mexico chile powder

  • 2 tablespoons mild New Mexico chile powder

  • 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder

  • 3 tablespoons freshly ground cumin

  • 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Thai shrimp paste, preferably Trachang brand

  • 6 tablespoons Thai thin soy sauce or usukuchi (Japanese light soy sauce)

  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt

  • 1 quart beef broth

FOR THE CHILI

  • 5 pounds beef tri tip, cut into small dice (about 1/2 inch)

  • about 1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes (one 15-ounce can)

  • 6 1/2 ounces peeled yellow onion, diced

  • 12 fresh Thai lime leaves

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons finely ground black pepper

FOR THE TOPPING

  • chopped cilantro and/or sawtooth herb

  • thinly sliced green onions

  • grated cheddar

  • perhaps some crema with lime, if you’ve recently been lurking in the vicinity of FL007: Lost in the Supermercado

 

Blend the gene pool until smooth. Add to a large pot with all of the beef and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently, covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and simmer for 1 hour more. Add the onions and tomatoes and cook for 1 final hour, or until the beef is fully tender. Tear the lime leaves (stripping away the tough central vein) and add to the pot with the black pepper.

Let cool for 30 minutes to let the flavors emerge before serving. Top with chopped cilantro and/or sawtooth herb, sliced scallions, grated cheddar, and crema to taste.

Warm advice: freeze small portions of this to enjoy later over the grits of FL012: Galleria, or even atop a hot dog in the baroque Chilean style (FL024: Queso Capitalista).