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Refried Beans

Name: Refried Beans
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil or bacon drippings; 2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 1 to 2 large cloves garlic, minced; 4 cups soft-cooked beans, such as pinto or kidney; Approximately 1 cup bean cooking liquid, vegetable stock, or water; Dash cayenne pepper; 1 to 2 teaspoons cider vinegar, optional; 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Refried Beans reads richness 6.3, sourness 5.9 and umami 5.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Mexican main, about 2 hr 15 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 6.4 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 1.4 / 10
Sour & Bright — 5.9 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 3.4 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.8 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.1 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 6.3 · Sourness 5.9 · Umami 5.9 · Salinity 4.7 · Allium 3.6 · Earthy 2.8 · Warm Spice 2.7 · Smoke 2.5 · Heat 2.3 · Nutty 1.6 · Sweetness 1.2 · Bitterness 1.1 · Herbaceous 0.7 · Fruity 0.6

What's in it (9)

2 tablespoons olive oil or bacon drippings
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 to 2 large cloves garlic, minced
4 cups soft-cooked beans, such as pinto or kidney
Approximately 1 cup bean cooking liquid, vegetable stock, or water
Dash cayenne pepper
1 to 2 teaspoons cider vinegar, optional
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Time & effort: about 2 hr 15 min (15 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 94.4 kcal, 4.4 g protein, 3.1 g fat, 11.9 g carbs

How it's cooked (2 steps)

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add and sizzle the cumin seeds for 10 seconds while stirring. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onions are soft and lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add about one third of the cooked beans and 1/3 cup of the liquid, mashing the beans with the back of a spoon or if beans are already pureed, stir them into the liquid to create a coarse mash.
While the mixture is simmering and the liquid is being absorbed into the bean puree, continue adding beans and liquid in two more batches. Add cayenne, vinegar, and salt to taste. Serve immediately

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Shashlik — Russian
Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey and Pot Likker — Soul Food
Adobong Puti (White Adobo with Vinegar, Garlic and Bay) — Filipino
Pique Macho — Bolivian
Lechona Tolimense — Colombian

Keep reading: what richness, sourness, umami mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.