Black bean chilli with gochujang and a Chilean red

A chilli usually owes its depth to long, slow cooking. Here, gochujang, a fermented Korean chilli paste, does the job instead: it brings heat, but also a sweet, fermented note that chilli on its own cannot give.

Sweet potato takes the place of meat and gives the dish its melting texture. Cut into large chunks, it holds its shape during cooking while breaking down just enough.

Ingredients for 6

Prep 15 min · Cook 40 min · Easy

• 2 tins of black beans (800g drained)
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 2 onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp ground cumin and ground coriander
• 1 square of dark chocolate
• Fresh coriander, lime
• Rice, to serve

Method

1. Slice the onions and cook them gently in a casserole dish for 10 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, cumin and ground coriander, and cook for 1 minute more.
2. Stir in the gochujang for 30 seconds. Pour in the tomatoes, then add the sweet potatoes, cut into large chunks, and a glass of water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add the drained beans and cook uncovered for a further 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
4. Off the heat, add the chocolate and stir until it melts: it softens the acidity of the tomatoes. Serve with rice, fresh coriander and lime.

The wine: a Chilean red

The nod is deliberate, but the pairing genuinely works: fermented chilli and chocolate call for a ripe red with smooth tannins. The full, silky reds of the Cachapoal Valley carry the dish along rather than fighting it.

• The Stonevik 2025 from Viña Vik: a Cachapoal Valley red full of blackberry, blackcurrant and lavender, beautifully balanced, with well-ripened tannins that wrap themselves around the chilli.
• La Piu Belle, the 2023 vintage, another wine from Viña Vik: more complex, with notes of fig, ripe plum and tobacco and a firm structure, for when the occasion calls for it.

Chilean winemaking has changed a great deal in recent years: we went to meet the people behind it in this report. For something completely different, see our salade niçoise.

For another slow-cooked vegetable dish, try our ratatouille confit.