Ideas for vegan-izing our black bean chili?

[telophase]

myrialux and I have been cooking this black bean chili recipe from Cook's Country for years.*

There's an annual chili lunch at my work, and we brought this last year. There are also enough vegetarians and vegans that I've thought about vegan-izing it. To add umami, there's soy sauce and tomato paste. Switch out the usual tomatoes for Mutti brand tomatoes,** add ground-up porcini mushrooms for more umami, veg stock instead of chicken stock.

I won't add chipotles in adobo, because we have, like, 5 different types of chili powders in our pantry and I'll be using them, and I don't want to blow out palates with either too much heat (there will be spicier chilis present; I don't need to produce a really spicy one) or with chipotle/jalapeno flavor when I've got Bull Canyon and Tularosa peppers. But I still need to add a smokiness that would normally come from bacon and ham. Liquid smoke is too harsh. I've seen a vegan recipe that uses espresso powder. Hm.

Dark chocolate or cocoa powder, provided it's a vegan variety (no milk, no sugar filtered with bone char) might add an acceptable darkness, and mole flavors are traditional. Hmmm. Smoked paprika might go too far in the paprika direction. Smoked salt runs the risk of over-salting, given soy sauce and veg broth, even if we're using the low-sodium varieties.

edit: Replacing some of the veg broth with a smoked stout or porter might also work. Or grinding up lapsang souchang tea leaves. HMMM.

* Note, that like all proper Texans, chili does not have beans in. This is not "chili." This is "black bean chili." See the difference? Like I always say, there's a perfectly good term for chili with beans in, and that's "chili with beans in." ;)

** Mutti is a brand we've recently found that doesn't use calcium chloride to keep the tomatoes' shape in the can. The tomatoes dissolve much more readily, and the Mutti brand tastes like tomatoes, not like a vaguely tomato-flavored substance.

Comments

[movingfinger]

Unsweetened cocoa powder is an ingredient in many adobos, isn't it? Depending on the cocoa used, you could get a really fine bass note from that. I might almost think of using a little bit of cinnamon, too. IMO a moderate amount of smoked paprika would be a good idea. Teas tend to add a vegetal flavor, but if you tea-smoked carrots and used those, might be a thing.

The powdered mushrooms are a great idea, as is the beer.

(Apropos powdered mushrooms, if you like using those, try the Gourmet porcini popovers, they are delicious!)

[telophase]

Thanks!

I've found Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen at one of our local liquor store websites which may work. At least the reviews keep comparing it to bacon and ham, so we're planning on hitting the store after work and getting 2 bottles (one for myrialux, who says it sounds delicious, and one for the chili). I'll hold off on deciding any more smoked flavors until we've tasted it, in case it's plenty enough. XD

I'm always fond of cocoa/chocolate in chili, so will probably do that.

[ellen_fremedon]

The cocoa and the smoked paprika are good ideas. Rather than mushroom powder, I might finely chop (or whiz in the food processor) some reconstituted dried shitakes, possibly along with fresh porcinis, saute them with the aromatics, and add them and the shitake soaking liquid. Dried mushroom broth is super savory.

You could also toss a square of dried kelp in the pot for some extra glutamates. If you let it keep cooking until it dissolves, it'll also give the broth some texture--similar to what dissolved collagen does in long-cooked meat dishes.

For smokiness--Trader Joe's makes a smoked pepper blend that's not very hot, though it does have salt. Urfa biber is a sun-cured chili pepper that's not too hot but that has a very dark, smoky flavor.

[heavenscalyx]

You could also brew a very strong lapsang souchong tea and add however much wouldn't blow your liquid out of the water.

Also, if there's nothing else in the chili with gluten, you might consider using tamari instead of soy sauce, just in case there's that one sad person who might not mention their gluten intolerance (and just quietly do not eat) but have the frequent experience of "but why?" when they find out that there's gluten in the thing.

[loligo]

The brand of smoked paprika I have is so intensely smoky that it can add noticeable smoke notes without making you go "Wow, this tastes like paprika". I don't know if you were planning to use one you already have where that would be a known problem, or if you're speculating...

[indywind]

My chilis nearly always contain both smoked paprika and cocoa powder (or microplaned baking chocolate if I have that but am out of cocoa powder).

When I want a vegan one to be really savory and smoky, caramelizing the aromatic veggies (usually in the pot on the stovetop, a few times I've broiled them on a sheet pan) until some are quite dark is essential, as is frying some of the spices in a good quality flavorful oil--usually olive or peanut (if nobody dining has a peanut allergy), sometimes coconut, occasionally I'll use something like toasted sesame oil or toasted peanut oil meant for salads or Asian dishes, that has a smoky flavor of its own. Smoke flavor is carried by oil, so it's not possible to get a rich smoky flavor in a low-fat dish.

I don't tend to put mushrooms in things that aren't specifically about mushrooms, as I have a friend who's allergic and a couple more who simply dislike but can tell they're there even in small amounts.

[thomasyan]

Roasted / charred eggplant for smokiness?

[golden_bastet]

I don't have any suggestions, but I'm definitely picking up some tips here!
Let us know what you end up doing.