Tepary Bean Salad

Recipe from Tohono O’odham Community Action, Mary Paganelli Votto and Francis Manuel

Adapted by Kevin Noble Maillard

Published Aug. 31, 2022

Tepary Bean Salad
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
20 minutes, plus chilling
Rating
4(84)
Comments
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Indigenous communities in the Sonoran Desert have cultivated the tiny, drought-tolerant tepary bean for millennia. This recipe, adapted from “From I’Itoi’s Garden: Tohono O’odham Food Traditions” by Tohono O’odham Community Action (TOCA), a grassroots food and health community organization, reimagines a traditional tepary bean dish by adding venerable corn, colorful peppers and rich aromatics. The white beans have a sweet finish, while the brown variety showcases an uncommon nuttiness. Navy or Great Northern beans may be substituted for the white tepary beans, but there is no equivalent for the unparalleled tepary brown. Combined with an assertive cumin vinaigrette, this robust salad manifests a rich blend of old and new indigenous foodways. —Kevin Noble Maillard

Featured in: On Remote Farms and in City Gardens, a Native American Movement Grows

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

    For the Cumin Vinaigrette

    • ⅓cup apple cider vinegar
    • 1teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • ½teaspoon ground cumin
    • ½teaspoon minced garlic
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    • ½cup extra-virgin olive oil

    For the Salad

    • 1cup cooked, drained white tepary beans, or Great Northern or navy beans (see Tip)
    • 1cup cooked, drained brown tepary beans (see Tip)
    • 1cup chopped red onion or scallions
    • 1cup cooked corn kernels
    • 1cup diced bell peppers (preferably a combination of red, orange and yellow)
    • ¼cup chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
    • 1jalapeño, diced
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

438 calories; 19 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 52 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 16 grams protein; 414 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the vinaigrette: In a large bowl, combine vinegar, mustard, cumin, garlic and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper; whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly until smooth.

  2. Step 2

    Make the salad: Add white and brown tepary beans, red onion, corn, bell peppers, cilantro and jalapeño to the bowl with the vinaigrette; toss to coat, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to a few days) before serving. Toss well to combine, and enjoy chilled or at room temperature.

Tip
  • If tepary beans are unavailable at your local market, you may order them from online retailers like Ramona Farms or Tocabe.

Ratings

4 out of 5
84 user ratings
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Comments

SSizer

Special thanks to the now new bride Priya Krishna for steering me to these wonderful beans. I haven't given up on meat, but I eat very little of it; 'd rather get my protein from pulses. I love beans, which I think are so endlessly versatile. I especially love eating produce that supports the Native American farms and culture.

sue

So excited to try this. Just ordered the beans from Native Seeds here in Tucson, which is a wonderful place that supports Native American culture and all that grows in the Sonoran desert.

Wynne

So happy to see this recipe! Teparies are among my favorite beans — and VERY easy to grow in the Tucson area. Give them a trellis where you want to block the summer sun, and then in November you get to eat your shade plant :-).

Suz

Wonderful, delicious, so satisfying and flavorful! Beans are lovely; ordered from Tocabe Indigenous Market. Have made this twice now, both times with much less onion (1/4 C at most), otherwise onion would overpower everything else. Made with more beans the second time around as they needed to be used up. Definitely a keeper!

nataliemax

Both Mom and Dad really liked. I used 2 cups beans. Red Onion was way over powering initially. Added another cup of corn and 2/3 cup peppers to use what was on hand and it was better. I used about four leaves of cilantro along with parsley and Mom didn't notice.

themarshal

Used all white tepary beans (from Mission Gardens in Tucson). Less vinegar and oil, parsley instead of cilantro. Added celery. Very good on its own or on top of greens.

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Credits

Adapted from “From I’Itoi’s Garden: Tohono O’odham Food Traditions” (Tohono O’odham Community Action, 2010), by Mary Paganelli Votto and Francis Manuel

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