Mexican food is my favourite and before going low fodmap I loved going out to the likes of Smith and Western and Chiquitos. Finding out you’re intolerant to onions, garlic, and beans soon put an end to that unfortunately.
The great thing about Mexican food is you can recreate it at home and, with the right recipe, you can create something that tastes as good as restaurant quality. I find curry never tastes the same as when you get it from an authentic Indian restaurant, but I’m now at the point where I don’t miss going out to dinner at Mexican restaurants because I’ve got my flavours spot on.
I hope you enjoy this chilli as much as I do and remember, chillies and spicy food aren’t high fodmap, but are still an IBS trigger for many. If spicy food gives you a flare up, consider leaving out anything stated below as optional and just keep it mild. It’s still a lovely rich, meaty tasting chilli all the same.
I also use turkey mince for my chilli to lower the fat content as fatty foods are another common IBS trigger but feel free to substitute lean beef mince or any vegetarian mince you can eat. I have made this with Quorn mince and it tasted a little different, but I still hoovered up the contents of the pan in no time at all!
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 500g turkey mince (or beef, or vegetarian alternative)
- 2 bell peppers, chopped*
- 1 small courgette, chopped**
- 500ml tomato passata
- 300ml beef stock (I use Massel 7’s which are vegan as well)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil
- 20ml lime juice
- 30g jalapenos from a jar (optional – don’t overdo it if spice is a trigger for you!)
- A dash of salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon of sugar, dependent on taste
- Plenty of fresh chopped chives for stirring in and for garnish
- Brown or white rice, to serve with it
Method
- Brown mince in a large frying pan, add in a little garlic infused oil if needed. Vegetarian mince will need oil, meat tends to cook in the fat it releases so I don’t add extra fat to the dish if I don’t have to.
- Once the mince is cooked, and the fat either evaporated or mostly drained off, add the vegetables and fry for about five minutes on a medium-high heat. Add in the jalapenos now.
- Add all the spices and stir until everything is well coated and the spices get stick to everything. Cook for two more minutes, add in a little stock if everything is getting dry and stuck to the pan.
- Add the rest of the stock and stir.
- Add in the passata, lime juice, and garlic infused oil. Stir well, and simmer on a medium-low heat for five to ten minutes
- Taste the chilli and if it’s a little acidic for your tastes, add in a teaspoon of sugar and stir well.
- Plate up with rice, and enjoy!
*I usually use red and yellow for colour but whatever you have will be fine. If you’re using a green pepper, weigh it first and make sure that a quarter of the pepper is no more than 52g , so 208g in total
**Make sure the courgette is no heavier than 260g as 65g is a low fodmap portion
