Indian Inspired Chili

This is the most  amazing chili  you  will ever  eat  with  mild Indian spices, your guests will be raving about this one!

Ingredients  For the sauce:                                                                                                                                        
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon powdered  ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ Serrano  pepper, seeded and minced, ( save the half of the Serrano not chopped for the Turkey)
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon paprika
1  15-ounce can tomato sauce  
2 cups water  

Ingredients for the rest of the chili:

4 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup raisins 

¼ cup shelled pistachios 

1 teaspoon ground cumin  

1 large white onion, finely diced 

1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced 

1/2 Serrano  pepper (don’t chop )

½ teaspoon salt 

1 pound ground turkey 

1/2 teaspoon dried   cilantro 

1 15 oz. can  Canellini beans dried and rinsed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon honey

1/4 cup half and half  

Directions :

Step 1.  

To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in  med  saucepan over med. heat. add the chopped serrano pepper and cook until tender, then add ginger  and the garlic and cook about  1 min. longer.   Add the gram masala and  paprika and cook for 30 seconds. add the tomato sauce and the  water and stir and bring to a boil. reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for  15 min. 

Step 2 .

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over med. heat.  Add the raisins   and the pistachios and cook, stirring occasionally until the  raisins swell up and the  pistachios toast lightly  about  1 min. and remove from  the   skillet and place in a bowl and set  aside. 

Step 3. 

Return the skillet  to med. heat and add the remaining olive oil.  then add the chopped onion and  bell pepper and cook until softened and starting to  turn brown. about 5  min.  and add the cumin, then the remaining not chopped half of the serrano pepper and cook 2 min. more and season with salt.  Next add the ground turkey breaking up the lumps and cook till opaque about 5 min. When this step is  finished, transfer the mixture to a  large pot. 

Step 4. 

Add the prepared sauce  to the turkey and  onion mixture and  add the drained and rinsed Canellini beans and stir and  bring to a boil then reduce the  heat to low and simmer until the  mixture thickens slightly  about 10 min.

Step 5. 

Remove the serrano pepper  half and discard.  stir in the honey,  half and half, raisins and pistachios.  Taste for seasoning and stir in the cilantro right before serving.

* notes

Please  do the steps as followed, if you  just  dump everything in and  cook it wont taste the same.