Bean feast: how to ensure a meatfree chilli has a flavour to savour

What’s the secret to a good vegetarian chilli? I can never replicate that savoury, meaty flavour.

Beth, Margate, England, UK

The first question to ask yourself is what’s going to replace the “carne” part of your chilli, Beth? “Mushrooms or courgettes, if they’re grilled, can have that meaty feel,” says Robin Perris, chef-owner of Pappy’s Texas BBQ in Kendal, Cumbria. “I think that smoky flavour will give the kind of sensation Beth is looking for.” Perris doubles down on the smokiness with a rehydrated dried guajillo chilli. And dried really is the way to go here: “You want the soft, background warmth of dried chillies to make a chilli stand out,” says Thomasina Miers, who uses a mix of chipotle and ancho in hers, for “a lovely blend of smoky heat and sweet, rounded flavour”.

You’ll also want some beans. “They’re a fantastic staple,” Perris says, “and so long as the flavour of the chilli is good, you can use just about any bean you want.” She favours dried pinto, which she slow cooks with spices before adding to the chilli mix, but you could go for tinned kidney beans or chickpeas instead. Miers also suggests stocking up on whole spices (cinnamon, allspice, cumin, cloves) from Asian supermarkets, to “toast, grind and stir into sweating onions to really lock in their power”. Perris goes for smoked paprika, a little cayenne, garlic, Texas barbecue sauce and chocolate. J Kenji LópezAlt achieves that elusive savoury (or umami) flavour in his “best vegetarian bean chilli” on Serious Eats with soy sauce and Marmite, which, he says, adds “a ton of richness”. You could also try stout, which Perris adds to the brisket chilli she makes in her restaurant.

A longer cooking time will help concentrate the chilli’s flavour. As López-Alt writes: “Fast chilli recipes are inevitably not quite as rich and complex as you’d like them to be.” Perris says: “You could cook your chilli on the stovetop,” but be careful the veg and beans don’t catch on the bottom of the pan. “Be patient and let it thicken and reduce.” And if you can wait until the next day to eat it, so much the better, to “give the chilli time to incorporate all the flavours”.

Finally, it’s imperative you don’t scrimp on the accoutrements, says Miers, who serves her chilli with “masses” of soured cream, fresh lime, coriander, salsa “with fresh chilli for bite” and toasted tortillas. Alternatively, Perris says, eat it with rice or crusty bread, grated cheddar, chilli flakes, soured cream and coriander. Either way, in the words of Miers: “Let me at it.”

Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com