Chili with Sprinkles

For someone who has trouble with all hot spicy food there's been an unusual tendency this autumn to pile in the peppers. Last night I decided on a black bean and smokey tofu chili which was nowhere nearly as delicately spiced as the chili I had at Greens recently but was still tangy, satisfying and strangely fulfilling. You can read my review of the Greens restaurant here.



So this recipe is really only a variation of everyday cooking in most homes and has nothing too noteworthy that should be written down for posterity but those of you who are addicted to crunchy seed mixtures might like to know how easy it is to make your own.

Spicy Seed Sprinkles are made with your choice of fresh, and that's important, dried seeds. You will definitely need sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds and you might want to add sesame seeds or hemp. Cashew nut pieces or unsalted peanuts are also good. A few aromatic seeds can be interesting but don't overdo the strong flavours, a pinch of cumin or fennel is plenty.

Very very lightly grease a frying pan and set your seeds in the pan over a gentle heat, moving them around continuously until they start to swell, pop and go golden. You don't want them to burn so take the pan off the heat while you find the tamari or soy sauce and the tabasco if you need it.

With the seeds back over a gentle warmth and swirling them around as you add it, sprinkle in a few shakes of sauce and one or two dashes of tabasco if liked. It will splutter and steam a bit but keep the seeds moving until they are all coated and the seasonings are dry. Tip out onto a clean plate and spread out to cool. Break up any clumps and stir around every few minutes until they cool. They will become crisper as they cool but once fully cooled put into an airtight container immediately (or eat) or they tend to absorb moisture and become sticky again.