Name: Nigerian Black Bean Salad
Ingredients: 1 cup cooked black beans, drained (homemade or canned); 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced; 1 green or yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced; 1/2 sweet onion, peeled and sliced; 1/4 lb firm regular Tofu; 1 Tbs olive oil; 2 tsp balsamic vinegar; 1 Tbs lime juice; 1 tsp sugar (optional); 1 - 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (or to taste); 1/4 cup chopped mango or peach (optional); Salt and pepper to taste

Why it works: Pepper and lime match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,491 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. 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.

Pepper + limetop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,491 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Beans + olivetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,470 recipes

Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Beans + limetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together700 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Beans + tofutop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together122 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Beans + oniontop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,242 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Black beans: Provide the bulk and firm, starchy body of the salad.
Tofu: Adds protein-rich body and absorbs some of the dressing's flavor.
Olive oil: Carries fat-soluble flavor and gives the dressing a smooth, rounded mouthfeel.
Balsamic vinegar: Adds acidity and a mildly sweet, tangy depth to the dressing.
Lime juice: Adds bright acidity that balances the oil and sweetness.
Bell peppers: Contribute crisp texture and fresh, sweet vegetal flavor.

The step that matters

Cool the tofu before cutting and dressing. Tofu that is still hot or wet will release water and dilute the dressing, and warm pieces may soften the beans and peppers. Cooling it fully lets the strips firm up and hold their shape when tossed with the dressing.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beans, pepper, tofu, olive, vinegar, lime, sugar):

Capsicumfits better
Welsh onionfits better
Sweet potatofits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beans, pepper, tofu, olive, vinegar, lime, sugar. 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
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Black Bean	1/2 cup canned (120g) drained	114
Mango	1 cup diced (165g)	99
Tofu	100g firm	76
Peach	1 medium (150g)	59
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Jalapeno Pepper	1 pepper (14g)	4
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Nigerian Black Bean Salad