The other day I was perusing the magical shelves and piles of vibrant produce in one of the larger mexican markets in our neighborhood when I noticed the strange looking but beautiful beans sitting unassumingly on a produce shelf. What are these long long beans?! Magic beans?! Maybe….well, no but I simply couldn’t resist my curiosity and picked up a big bundle. Shoot first, ask questions later is definitely my motto when it comes to gorgeous mystery foods! These little beauties are called Guajes and taste as if garlic and onion had a baby that came out tasting mostly like papa garlic. They are a delicious and powerful ingredient for salsas and, in this case, guacamole. If you happen by guajes at a mexican or asian market, pick up a small bundle and give them a try. I’ve even been throwing them in stir-fry dishes or some extra ooomph!
Try this fresh, healthy, and super flavorful guacamole at your next get together!
- 3 avocados, flesh scooped out
- juice of 1 lime
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 handful chopped cilantro
- 1 Tablespoon fresh guajes seeds pulled from the bean, finely diced or smashed
- Mix avocado and lime juice in a large bowl, draining any excess juice.
- Mash in cumin, cayenne, salt and gaujes.
- Fold in tomatoes, onions and cilantro.
- Top with a squeeze of lime juice and a few fresh whole guaje seeds.
food photographer, food photography, los angeles, crystal cartier
These look like pumpkin seeds, only they’re green! Thanks for the info on these. I’ll start looking for them and try your recipe!
They do look a lot like pepitas but taste completely different. Hope you like them:)