There are times when being a cook (and uncook) is very unpredictable. I might find myself in the kitchen with the intention of making one recipe just to end up with another dish entirely. Sometimes there isn’t even a real explanation except that I didn’t pay attention and maybe added too much of this or that, or didn’t follow my own directions. And like a pendulum, my emotions can swing from panic and disappointment to elation about a new discovery Cultured Pistachio Hummus. It’s a lot like life. The unexpected is always on the horizon and sometimes it truly can be amazing.
This dilly of a soup was a recent kitchen accident. So what was my little accident? I was making a chipotle dressing, didn’t pay attention, ended up adding the wrong chili, and way too much to it. And my new favorite soup was born.
At first the former dressing turned chowder looked too orange. I thought I ruined it and it would be waaay too hot. I took a taste anyway. It wasn’t ruined, it was insanely good. My accident ended up being a mouth-watering roasted-like creamy tomato soup. Only there were no tomatoes in it. How did that happen?
I added a few more spices, some fresh onion and garlic, and lime juice to round out the flavor. One of the main ingredients in this ravishing soup is dried ancho chili. It’s just one of many types of dried chilis out there but I love this particular one because it doesn’t burn your fingers if you touch it. It’s actually pretty mild. What it does do is add loads of color and warm chili flavor. Did I mention that chilis and all colored peppers are among the highest sources of vitamin C in the world? As you may already have noticed I enjoy making Latin foods Spicy Gazpacho Soup and Mexican Atole which always includes some form of spicy pepper. It’s a diverse and colorful cuisine that really appeals to the artist in me (and my palate!).
All of the ingredients were blended up to creamy perfection. Embarrassingly easy to make. Why hadn’t I done this before? I then stepped back and just marveled at the color. Beautiful. Like a burnt sunset. Hubby duly tested my concoction and pronounced that it was the best tomato soup he had ever had. He hadn’t heard. He then proceeded to slather this “tomato soup” on everything he could find the rest of the day. Lucky for me I made a double batch. But my recipe was only half way there.
Not one to miss out on an opportunity to add fresh vegetables, I assembled black Beluga lentils, fresh vegetables, spices, and smoked salt and pepper for a salsa-style relish. It could easily be used as a relish, salad, or just pile it in your soup like I did. I love using smoked seasonings because they can step in for actually smoking and charring your food which isn’t the healthiest thing to do. You can switch to liquid smoke too or just opt out altogether if smoky isn’t your thing. The relish is stand-up delicious with or without.
Black Beluga lentils, in case you haven’t heard about them, are tiny round black lentils resembling Beluga caviar. Because they are so small they don’t need to be soaked, and cook up in about 30 minutes. But don’t be fooled by the miniature size because they are mighty. Lentils are particularly high in folate, digestible fiber, protein, and iron, and also contain copper (there’s that important mineral again), zinc, calcium, niacin, vitamin K1, and potassium. Lentils also serve your body by helping to lower cholesterol, maintain healthy blood sugar levels, increase your energy, and aid in weight loss. There’s a lot going on in this little black legume.
This delicious chowder and relish is very versatile and easily makes for a meal. The chowder itself can be used as a pasta sauce or salad dressing. Thicken it up even more and it would make a great dip too. But personally I think it really shines along with the relish in this vibrant Mexican chowder. Savory, spicy, and sassy, this aromatic dish is a cornucopia of beautiful South of the Border flavors. I hope you enjoy my accidental creation; a little side trip towards the unexpected that we should all take more often.
This recipe is dairy and gluten-free, and serves 2 – 3 persons.
Mexican Chili Chowder with “Smoked” Black Lentil Relish
Mexican Chili Chowder:
- The color and depth of flavor of your soup depends on the amount and what type of chili you use. If substituting with smaller chilis, you may need to add more than one.
- The ancho pepper is not really that hot so it can be used more liberally than other chilis. You can remove the seeds from the chili if you want less heat.
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted cashews
- 1 – 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 – 2 large 7-inch dried ancho chili or other dried chilis of similar size to taste (depending on how intense you want it)
- 1/4 cup chopped white or yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves (optional)
- 3 – 4 Tbsp lime juice or lemon juice
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp chipotle powder or smoked paprika or dried chili flakes (optional)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp honey or other light sweetener
- 1/2 – 1 tsp smoked sea salt or other sea salt to taste
- Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender.
- Start on low, gradually increasing speed until the soup is creamy and smooth. If it’s too thick, add just enough more water to blend again until very smooth.
- Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use. It will thicken when stored.
- Yields about 2 1/2 cups.
- Can be stored refrigerated up to 5 days.
“Smoked” Black Lentil Relish:
You can substitute the beluga lentils with any lentil you wish or beans of choice. Follow package instructions to cook.
- 1/3 cup uncooked black Beluga lentils, rinsed
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup yellow or white corn kernels
- 2 Tbsp minced cilantro
- 1 cup diced peppers of choice
- 1/4 cup diced shallot or other onion of choice
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp oil of choice
- 1/4 tsp ground chipotle powder
- 1/4 tsp ground smoked paprika or ground paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 – 1 tsp smoked sea salt or other sea salt to taste
- Add water to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Add beluga lentils and continue to boil for a couple of minutes.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes until soft but not mushy.
- When ready, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Discard any residual water.
- Add to a mixing bowl with remaining ingredients and toss well.
- Let marinate for a few minutes before serving.
- Yields about 3 cups.
- Can be stored refrigerated up to 5 days.
To Serve:
- Add Mexican Chili Chowder to serving bowls.
- Garnish with “Smoked” Black Lentil Relish.
- Serve immediately and enjoy.
looks wonderful. your recipes are always so colorful. i’m making the soup as i write this but using chiptole mixed with red bell pepper since i dont have the chili you mentioned. thanks so much!
Your welcome. I hope you enjoy it. Have a great day!
Finally tried it last night. So good. I used quite a bit of chili but the overall result was wonderful. I’m using it as pizza sauce this weekend with goat cheese and roasted vegetables on your quinoa crust. I’m getting hungry as I type this. Thanks so much!
Thank you for the kind words. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Your dish sounds wonderful too. I hope you have a great weekend!
i am allergic to cashews. is there another nut i can use? also can i use regular lentils since i don’t have the black ones? thanks
You might try using a mixture of avocado and oil although I haven’t tried that yet. Or you could maybe use macadamia nut. Macadamias have a little more flavor than cashews so you may need to add more seasoning. I hope either of these work for you. Have a great day!
i used this for nachos and it was amazing! but i agree it would be excellent as soup. thanks!
That’s the wonder of natural recipes (especially raw), they are so versatile. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Have a wonderful day!
great recipe. i am using it on everything too. i had a little hard time blending it because its so thick but i added more water so it was fine and i used some substitutions but it was great. next tine i’ll try the bean relish. fast meal. thanks!!!!!
Your welcome. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Have a great week!
very innovative. you must do a book. as much as i appreciate the time and effort that goes into blogging there’s simply nothing like flipping through a hard copy.
Thanks of much for the kind words. I agree, hard copies are so nice. Maybe in the future. For now this blog keeps me very busy! Have a great day!
Making this for a party tomorrw. using it as a dip. I’m not raw or vegan or anything my wife and I just like whole foods. No labels here just healthy food for us.Your blog is both exceptional and inspirational. Thank you.
Thanks so much for the compliment. Labels are not my thing either. I hope you enjoyed it. Have a wonderful week!
what a gorgeous soup! i made it last night and it was just delicious. easiest soup ever. i used chipotle since didn’t have the other chili but did take out the seeds. it tasted a little like tomato soup but better. i dont like tomatoes so this worked out great. was a lovely soup for the holiday weekend. thanks so much.
Thanks so much for the kind words and I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Have a great week!
just saw this recipe and oh my gosh i need to try this. looks amazing. i have to get that chili next time i go to whole foods. yum!!!
Thank you for the kind words. I hope you enjoy it. Have an amazing evening!
Greetings from Norway! It has been a while since i be here and I am impressed! You have a new website! Fantastic! This soup is raw and therefore perfect for me. The relish I may remove the beans and the rest is raw, yes? It looks very very good and we will make this. Thank you for the new beautiful blog! Such inspiration!
Your so welcome Sven. I’m so glad you are enjoying the site and finding such inspiration here. Yes you can absolutely remove the beans. They can be substituted or simply left out, it’s great either way. I hope you enjoy the recipe. Have a wonderful day!
amazing recipe. loved it. to easy. i dont’ always like to use nuts because of the fat but this was great. thanks so much for your generosity and spirit. your posts make me smile.
Aw, thanks so much for the kind words and I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Have a wonderful day!
seriously good. the smoked part was the kicker. i used both as dips. amazing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I agree the smoked part makes it even more special. It’s versatile enough to use with almost anything. Have a wonderful day!
was a hit over the weekend. have to watch the amount of chili though lol. tend to go overboard on that. partner made the lentil relish. we used sprouted lentils to make it more raw. am still thinking it. thanks so much.
Your welcome. I’m so glad you both enjoyed it so much. Have a wonderful day!
wow this looks mega delicious! i am doing low fat mostly but gotta try this. can i reduce the nuts if i want? your posts are so calming to read. love the mood you created here. :)
Thank you for stopping by and for the nice compliment. Yes you can reduce the amount of nuts although I haven’t tried this myself. I would suggest substituting in some sun-dried tomatoes if you want to keep it on the thicker side and fresh tomatoes if you want it more like soup. I hope this helps. Have a great day!
This is the next recipe of yours to try. I am making it tomorrow. It has taken me a little effort to find the ancho chilis. I tried another chili but you are right with that it was too hot. Now I am making it as per your instructions and ingredients. You are the master and I should not question! Greetings and thank you!
Thank you for posting your experience and for the compliment. I’m not a master, I’m still a student who is always learning. :) I agree most other dried chilis are a bit too hot to use in that quantity which is why I mainly stick with the ancho. I’m sure there are others but I haven’t tried them yet. I hope you enjoy it! Have a great day!
Oh my this looks so good. I love almost any chowder but this takes the cake so to speak. I’ll be making it tomorrow after a long grueling hunt for ancho chilis and beluga beans. Searched all over town and ended up at Whole Foods. Can hardly wait. Thanks for posting!
Fabulous soup. I subbed the onions and garlic for leeks. A keeper.
Your story reminds me of the time I accidentally made the best smoothie I ever made then forgot to write down the recipe. Ugh. I’ve tried to recreate it since but it’s never been the same as that first time. Anyway this looks beyond amazing. I love the idea of turning black lentils into relish. Such brilliance. Can’t wait to try it.
Oh no, so sorry to hear you lost your smoothie recipe. Keep trying it will happen. I find that eventually I do figure out lost mixes although it may take a lot of retests lol. I hope you love this recipe in the meantime. Have a wonderful evening!