Why it works: Beans and corn match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,211 recipes. Both carry 2,3-pentanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Tortilla Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Soak the beans
Boil black beans in water for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and let soak in the cooking water for 1 hour.
Make the soup
Sauté celery, onion and bell pepper in oil until slightly tender.
Add salt, cilantro and sautéed vegetables to the bean soup, cover, and simmer for 3 hours.
Slightly mash some beans, then stir.
Serve
Warm the tortillas in a frying pan on both sides until bendable.
Put a tortilla in a bowl and ladle black bean soup on top.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Corn Tortilla | 1 medium flour (45g) | 140 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Black Bean | 1/2 cup canned (120g) drained | 114 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Bell Pepper | 1 medium (119g) | 31 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Cilantro | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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 + corntop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,211 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Beans + celerytop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,159 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
-
Celery + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,518 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Beans + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked 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
- Become tender and creamy as they simmer, and mashed beans thicken the soup.
- Vegetable oil
- Carries heat to the diced vegetables so they soften and take on flavor.
- Onion
- Softens and sweetens during sautéing, building a savory base for the soup.
- Celery
- Softens during sautéing and adds a mild savory aroma to the soup.
- Bell pepper
- Softens during sautéing and adds subtle sweetness and body to the soup.
- Corn tortillas
- Warmed until pliable, they act as a soft base that absorbs the soup and adds corn flavor.
The step that matters
Simmer gently over the long cook. Keeping the soup at a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil lets the beans cook evenly and keeps their skins from breaking, which keeps the soup clearer and the beans intact through the 3 hours.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beans, celery, pepper, corn):
- Carrotfits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Tomatofits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beans, celery, pepper, corn. 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.
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