Name: Southwestern Rice and Black Bean Salad
Ingredients: 2 cups cooked long-grain white or brown rice; 1 1/2 cups fresh cooked or canned drained corn kernels; 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained; 4 scallions, chopped; 2 large tomatoes, diced; 1 medium cucumber, diced; 1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (optional); 2 Tbs. vegetable oil; Juice of 2 limes; 2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro; 2 tsp. dried oregano; 1 tsp. ground cumin; 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper; 1/2 tsp. salt

Why it works: Beans and tomato match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,713 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Beans + tomatotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,713 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Pepper + limetop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,491 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Tomato + oreganotop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,767 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Lime + oreganotop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together291 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Corn + beanstop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,211 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Cooked rice: Forms the base of the salad and gives it bulk and a tender, chewy texture.
Black beans: Add protein-rich body and a firm, earthy texture that holds up in the salad.
Corn kernels: Add sweetness and crisp juiciness that contrasts with the rice and beans.
Tomatoes: Contribute moisture and fresh acidity to the salad.
Lime juice: Adds acidity that brightens the flavors and balances the cumin and oregano.
Vegetable oil: Adds fat that carries the spices and gives the salad a smoother mouthfeel.

The step that matters

Bring to room temperature before serving. Chilled oil and cold ingredients mute aroma and flavor, so letting the salad warm slightly lets the lime, cumin, and herbs taste fuller.

Swap the cucumber

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, corn, beans, tomato, pepper, lime, oregano):

Capsicumfits better
Sweet potatofits better
Okrafits better
Cucumberthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against rice, corn, beans, tomato, pepper, lime, oregano. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Black Bean	1/2 cup canned (120g) drained	114
Corn	1/2 cup kernels (82g)	77
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Cucumber	1/2 cup sliced (52g)	16
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Cilantro	1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Southwestern Rice and Black Bean Salad