Pune, 4 January, 2023, 2109 hours:

Am finally comfortable with the chilli I make. I started a wanting chilli con carne from the first time I saw Terence Hill wolfing down beans with a slab of bread in They Call Me Trinity. I still am a big fan of Bud Spencer-Terence Hill movies but last year I started wondering if it was all because of the beans.

It was a long time before I found out that the chilli con carne was made of ground beef. I was in Fort Worth, Texas and sat down to order my first chilli when I realised it was made with beef, which I don’t eat. For years on every trip to the USA, I searched for chilli made with goat or lamb but it was futile.

Last year, I made up my mind to find a good recipe and make it with minced mutton till I got it right. After the first few tries, I figured out there was no point in trying to follow a recipe since they were all sanities for the age. But since I now had the basic ingredients and broad method, I went back to the visuals of beans I had seen in all the western movies over the years, and set about achieving the consistency I felt was right.

Tonight I got it right. I love eating rajma and now I can settle down to spooning beans with rice every now and then.

At some point, given the dismal state of fancy breads, I fear I may turn out to making the bread myself as well. But for now, the chilli it is.