Ingredients

• 1lb ground beef (or any other meat)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped fine
• 1 red bell pepper, large, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds, whole
• 1 tsp coriander powder (optional)
• 4 Tbsp ancho chili powder, or any sweet chili powder mix (no salt added)
• 1 pinch cloves
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp oregano (or savory)
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp sumac (optional, add 1 Tbsp extra tomato paste if omitting)
• 1 bay leaf, large (or two small)
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt, (plus more to taste at end)
• water, 1 inch above top of mixture
• sugar, to taste (optional, depends on tartness of tomatos, whether sumac was omitted, or any fresh tomatos added)

Directions

1. Add olive oil, onions, garlic, red bell pepper to a heated pot. Cook until softened, and starting to brown.

2. Add in cumin seeds, cook for two minutes.

3. Add in all the spices and bay leaf. Stir and cook for a minute.

4. Add in ground beef, stir to mix. Add in water (1 inch above meat mixture) and salt. Cover the pot, cook for 45 minutes.

5. Check consistency of chili after 45 minutes, add more water if needed. Chili is done when it is a uniform reddish brown color and the meat is not grey/lighter than the sauce. Add salt to taste. Fish out bay leaf.

6. Serve over rice, with pasta, with cheese on top, with onions, etc.

7. Optional: increasing amount of cinnamon, adding in cayenne to taste, any other chili powder mix

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