1

I'm not so good with spices, wanted to know what would be good substitutes for thyme and oregano. I'm not even sure I can pick up the taste that it adds to the chili, but one of my friends was able to taste the difference right away and tell me when I used or not used thyme and oregano. My Russian taste is more used to bay leaf, mustard, dill, parsley and etc.

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef
½ pound of ground chicken
½ pound of ground pork
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups beef broth
½ cup of 2% milk
1 15 oz can red pinto beans (drain)
1 15 oz can black beans (drain)
3 fresh tomatoes (cut to small chunks)
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 large onions, diced finely
1 large green bell pepper, diced finely
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoons cumin, ground
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon black pepper, ground
4 Habanero peppers, seeded diced finely
4 chipotle peppers, seeded diced finely
SAJ14SAJ
  • 72,735
  • 13
  • 153
  • 231
Vladimir Oselsky
  • 327
  • 1
  • 3
  • 12
  • Can you tell us a bit more details? Like what spices you usually put in and why you don't add thyme or oregano and why you want substitutes. – Mien Nov 22 '13 at 13:21
  • just trying to find alternatives to cumin, thyme and oregano, want to create different flavor. – Vladimir Oselsky Nov 22 '13 at 13:26
  • The only absolute in chili is chili. After that, it is a matter of personal preference, but most people would consider cumin indispensable. – SAJ14SAJ Nov 22 '13 at 13:27
  • 1
    That milk is a really, really odd ingredient for any chili. I would definitely leave it out. – SAJ14SAJ Nov 22 '13 at 13:31
  • sorry that is part of my Russian twist to traditional chili. had whole another discussion how to make it more russian before, but this is not what this questions is about. http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/10735/what-would-convert-this-chili-recipe-into-a-russian-chili – Vladimir Oselsky Nov 22 '13 at 13:33
  • reason for milk **unconfirmed** it helps reduce the heat from Habanero peppers without taking away the flavor. – Vladimir Oselsky Nov 22 '13 at 14:16
  • 1
    Sorry, I have to close this. We don't do questions of the type "what flavors go with X", because the answer always boils down to "whatever tastes good to you". – rumtscho Nov 22 '13 at 15:01
  • Please consider coming by chat; I am sure you would get some discussion. – SAJ14SAJ Nov 22 '13 at 15:15
  • @SAJ14SAJ Put brackets around chat to get a link: [chat] – Cascabel Nov 22 '13 at 15:50
  • @Jefromi Cool! I didn't know that. – SAJ14SAJ Nov 22 '13 at 15:53
  • @SaUce I might be wrong because I'm fairly new on this SE, but I believe a "substitution" would be how to replace an ingredient with a *similar* ingredient to get the same effect. (Say, butter and shortening, AP flour for cake flour, dried vs. fresh spices.) What you're looking for is an alternative flavouring which isn't really the same thing. – millimoose Nov 22 '13 at 17:52
  • Now, for a methodical approach on finding alternative flavourings you could use something like [Foodpairing](https://www.foodpairing.com/en/home/), but it's probably too pricey for home use, and I haven't used it for recipes as complex as a chilli. Recipe Labs' [Ingredient Pairings](http://www.ingredientpairings.com) is free but it seems to be kind of hit and miss and I'm sure that with that amount of ingredients you'd just get rnadom results. You could also invest in a book like the [Flavor Bible](http://www.amazon.com/The-Flavor-Bible-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1) – millimoose Nov 22 '13 at 17:56
  • A good way of using that book or one of the apps would be picking one of the spices in the recipe you do intend to use, look up the suggestions for one, and then seeing if you like any of those or if they fill the same "role" as the ones you're replacing. So thyme is kind of "smoky" and woody, can be maybe replaced with a little rosemary, oregano is herby and you could try basil which goes well with chilli, or marjoram which is very similar. That said I love thyme to bits and wouldn't really substitute it, it goes well with the sweetness of tomato and beef. – millimoose Nov 22 '13 at 18:07

1 Answers1

1

There is tremendous variation in how chilis are flavored; if you have three chili cooks in the room, you probably will have six different opinions.

The most traditional flavor base is built on chili and cumin, plus (depending on region and variant), tomatoes, onions and/or garlic.

After that, you get into preference. Some cooks don't add any herbs at all. Others add complex blends of spices (even chocolate) rivaling some of the mole sauces of Mexico.

I think the most compatible herbs for chili include include Mexican oregano (which is a different herb than oregano), so if you can get it, it is the best choice, oregano (as you have already mentioned), and thyme. I do like to put a bay leaf or three in my chili although that may not be traditional.

Still, if you don't have them available or cannot use them for some reason, leaving them out is a fine option.

SAJ14SAJ
  • 72,735
  • 13
  • 153
  • 231